Five-year-old boy named Keinoa has always had difficulty communicating and connecting with other children. The boy has autism and his mother, Shannon, cannot hug, bathe, dress or hug him without difficulty.
So his mother was stunned and also filled with tears of happiness when Keinoa met his new therapy dog, Tornado, for the first time. Her beloved son did something no one expected and willingly hugged the dog.
In a picture that made millions of people break out into tears, Shannon’s mother cries uncontrollably as she watches the emotional meeting between Keinoa and his new friend – the therapy dog that the family waited for for two years until he finally arrived at their home.
“See this moment? I have never experienced such a moment in my life. Yesterday was the first day that my 5-year-old son, who suffers from autism, met his therapy dog, Tornado. We are Americans living in Japan and for two years we have been preparing to meet Tornado.
This photo documents the face of a mother who saw her child, whom she cannot hug, bathe, dress, cuddle, touch, lying freely on his therapy dog willingly, with an indescribable connection. This is the face of a mother who has seen her son fail countless times in social situations in the playground trying to find a new friend. Any kind of friend. Any type of connection. She sat with her son as he cried at nights for months because he has no contact with anyone outside the family no matter how hard he tries no matter how hard he works in his treatments. It does not pass into the natural world for him. And now she sits behind her son, watching the moment, when she has no air in her lungs, and has no words to say.
It is worth every war for treatments for my son, every diagnosis, every new therapist, every dollar paid, every document we fill out, every school meeting, every tear, every step forward, and every wonder of an unknown future. Somehow because of this – because of Tornado – I know everything will be fine. As a mother, I have seen countless challenging and painful moments that my son experienced and because of them I cried. But yesterday, I cried for a different reason. It’s an indescribable feeling.”
It’s hard to imagine what a mother feels who can’t hug her son without him having an anxiety attack.
Children with autism have difficulty in finding a connection with their environment. This is why dogs are sometimes trained to assist in their care. They can calm a child when he’s having an anxiety attack, they keep him safe, and let the parents know he needs help. Because dogs behave differently than humans, autistic children sometimes find it easier to communicate with them.
Autism may not be cured with medication, but dogs can help people who suffer from it overcome some of their difficulties. Their concern, devotion, playfulness, and warmth can do a lot to help autistic children bond and connect with the world around them.