Something amazing happened on the football field recently in Lake Villa, Ill. It wasn’t a game winning touchdown, a perfect Heads Up Tackle or even a spectacular run. It was an after-the-game moment that was several years in the making. Indulge me for a minute with a little background information before I share the story.

Back in March 2008, I took a chance on a program in my hometown to see if I could get my son to play flag football. I will never forget that day in the of Maplewood Elementary School cafeteria. Like every new football parent, it was a little nervous. But I wasn’t just any football parent, I was THE football parent. All of those hours on a football field through high school, junior college and then college, this should have been a no-brainer. Football is an awesome sport, and it seemed to be in my blood, but would it be the right sport for my son?

Little did I know that in that small, quaint cafeteria I would meet two people who would help me change the world. A man approached me and asked if I needed help. I must have looked lost. My scholarly answer to him was: “kinda.” At that moment, Jeff Underwood’s smile and kindness invited me to tell the story of my son, Danny. I didn’t hesitate, pause or even breathe. Would the Cary Jr. Trojans football program be the right place for my son, who’s on the Autism spectrum? With confidence, he tapped a stoic man standing next to him on the shoulder and said, “Hey, Reggie, I’d like you to meet Missi Brezina. She has a son that would be perfect for our program ... .”

And with that, my love for the Cary Jr. Trojans program began. Reggie reassured me and said he had every confidence that my son would have a great football experience and even promised me the perfect coach. Reggie’s son, John, was coaching one of the flag teams that season and welcomed Danny onto his team.

Danny’s flag football experience was amazing. It was two years of fun, new friends and the beginning of a new partnership between the Jr. Trojans family and my family. As parents, Jim and I were open with the others around us and frank with our discussions and stories when speaking about Danny. We invited those who wanted into our world as a family on the Autism spectrum. We hoped that it would help us transition into new programs, exciting peer adventures and many new aspects of life as our son was getting older. You can do that in a smaller town, after all.

I believe it takes a village to raise a child nowadays. Sure enough, Reggie and John, along with our league reps Patrick Cobb and Larry Waco, continued to drive the train of awareness for Danny. At a young age, Danny was slowly becoming the face of Autism awareness in our area, and his new friends and coaches were helping to spread the word of what our family has been trying to do since he was diagnosed. It’s all about awareness.

It was during the first year of tackle football that we were introduced to Geoff Meyer and the The Chicagoland Youth Football League. Geoff helped to set a standard throughout the league that allows athletes on the spectrum the chance to play the great game of football with their peers. The TCYFL board has helped us insure that Danny has the best experience, and board members demand that everyone involved show the utmost courtesy and respect for Danny’s participation. And to this day, Geoff and board are still champions for this decree.

Because of this compassion and the hard work and dedication of many people, we want to thank head coach John Medinger and the other coaches – including Mike, Harry, Todd, Rob and too many more to list. While in Lake Villa for Danny’s middleweight game, a man walked up looking for “Danny’s parents” before the game. He wanted to make sure that he introduced someone special to Danny. This kind man introduced Danny to Zach, a player who was encouraged to participate in football because he watched Danny a few years ago and saw how successful he was. Talk about a win – a huge win for Zach and an amazing win for the Lake Villa program. Kudos to TCYFL for encouraging other programs to follow the lead, and bravo to the three people who made this fantastic magic happen! As I have said since he was born, my Danny is here for a reason: to make the world smile more, laugh more, love more but mostly to make this world better by opening minds one person at a time.

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