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- 3/24/2012
- 3rd Annual Vegas at Variety
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When Chris Fleming’s Son Was Diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum, Her Life Changed
The Fleming Family
She’s been with ACME Markets for 21 years. It’s where Chris Fleming met her husband, Bill, with whom she has three sons, Matt, Nick and Connor. It’s also where Chris has gained overwhelming support for her life’s biggest challenge: Autism.
"Everywhere you go, you’re looked at. Everyone’s staring." Nick Fleming was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum when he was three. Now nine, he’s non-verbal and lacks the social skills many children his age thrive on. Nick’s lack of ability to express himself through words has caused Chris and Bill great reluctance to entrust their son to the care of others.
Those feelings of reluctance changed to hope when Chris stepped onto the grounds of Variety’s 80+ acre camp in Montgomery County. Chris went to the Variety Club Camp and Developmental Center with ACME’s Volunteers in Action group.
A month later, Chris was back on these same grounds, making a life changing decision for her family. The entire Fleming family helped Nick unpack his things at the retreat for children with special needs before enjoying a cookout with other families making this same inaugural trip. For the first time, Chris and Bill trusted someone else to watch over their son. After a week of camp, Nick was painting pottery, hitting golf balls, even performing in the camp’s theatrical production. Nick’s father, Bill was overwhelmed with his son’s performance. "To be around other children and to achieve that social interaction, it’s so incredible to see and it’s so important for all children to have that." Bill and Chris say Nick now asks his brother to play basketball, something he had never done before. Chris credits it all to Variety’s Autism Initiative. "It’s very important to raise money for this cause because there are so many parents out there that don’t have an outlet for their children. Any money that’s raised for these kids that lets them go somewhere and be themselves, it’s huge. For me, it was everything."
