The Spark
Page 27
If a child who was never supposed to talk or read can rise to such improbable heights, imagine what children without such challenges might achieve, and how far they might soar if we encouraged them to unfurl their wings—past any horizon, past even our wildest expectations. By sharing our story, I hope that will happen.
Grandpa John, building his beloved sailboat. He was never too busy to take us fishing.
My Grandpa John and Grandma Edie on their wedding day.
We both had big dreams for this little boy.
Jake could spend hours watching the play of light and shadows.
No cereal box was safe. How could we know he was learning to calculate volume?
I couldn’t tear Jake’s attention away from the reflection on this apple long enough to get a good picture.
An elaborate pattern Jake made on the carpet with Q-tips. These designs gave me a peek into his mind.
Therapy was boring … but Little Light wasn’t.
The children at Little Light successfully achieve circle time by popping bubbles with their toes. Jake is pictured on the right in his beloved plaid shirt.
That first year, we thought we were going to lose Wes.
Jake and Christopher shared a real connection, one I hadn’t seen Jake have before with a friend.
Jake after class with his first mentor, Professor Pehl at IUPUI, who helped me to see Jake as a scientist.
There’s always a lot of work, but there’s always time for fun. That’s what brothers are for! Here on the family hammock: Jake, Wesley, and Ethan.
Jake “at home” in the honors college, surrounded by his peers, takes the lead working through an equation.
Jake writing an equation on a window with a view of the Chrysler Building.
Jake presenting his research. He looked so small in his suit.
Jake and Igor at the famed Barnett Academy, home of the Fighting Moose. The roses are from Mike.
The whole family.
For Michael, who makes the impossible possible every day
And for everyone who’s ever been told they can’t
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KRISTINE BARNETT lives in Indiana with her husband, Michael, and their children. In 1996 she founded Acorn Hill Academy, a daycare serving local families. She and Michael currently run a charitable community center for autistic and special-needs children and their families called Jacob’s Place.