Village resident helps boy get a Star Wars sword

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by Mike Lesko

Maple Heights Press Editor

Maple Heights -- Reminderville's Scott Wadsworth, who took part in last fall's Autism Speaks walk at Progressive Field in Cleveland, dressed as a "Jedi" character.

Like plenty of other youngsters, 13-year-old Nathan Norvell is fascinated with the Darth Vader character from the "Star Wars" movies.

Nathan, who is autistic, took part in the inaugural Autism Speaks 2-mile walk and was thrilled when some participants dressed as "Star Wars" characters.

Wadsworth remembered Nathan afterward. And at a recent Autism Speaks awards ceremony, Nathan's mother, Theresa Norvell, met up with Wadsworth.

"I casually mentioned to Scott how much Nathan wanted a Darth Vader light saber like the one Scott had, but I couldn't afford $100 for a toy," she said.

Wadsworth -- explaining that they are not toys but collector's items -- put on a fundraiser that raised money to get Nathan a sword, which he recently gift-wrapped and delivered to Nathan at his Maple Heights home.

Wadsworth, whose son, Donovan, is autistic, and Oakwood's Jay Obojski, delivered the 4-foot metal "Luke Skywalker" model sword in person.

Theresa was overwhelmed.

"It was so nice of Scott," she said. "In my 13 years of Nathan's autism, never has a perfect stranger thought this much of my son. I've gotten more cruelty toward him from strangers than I care to remember."

Living with autism

Norvell said sometimes people will tell her she "needs to control" or quiet down Nathan, who will slap his hands or squeeze his hands tight against his ears when he gets excited.

"Sometimes, they look at Nathan like he has three heads," she said.

She said most children with autism tend to focus more -- and sometimes obsess -- on certain things like music or spinning objects.

Nathan, a sixth-grader at Dunham Elementary School, was diagnosed with autism at age 2. He is the youngest of Byron and Theresa Norvell's three children.

Preston, 17, is a sophomore at Maple Heights High School and Crystal, 14, is an eighth-grader at Milkovich Middle School.

"My daughter is very protective of him. Because she and Nathan are so close in age, she has a motherly instinct," she said. "Our two older children help him a lot and that has helped us a lot."

Nathan has what his mother described as a high-functioning form of autism.

"His communication skills are so-so," she said. "He can talk a little. We get some of the information from him by prompting him, and he gives yes or no answers.

"He is able to initiate more conversation now than ever. If he can't say it, he'll try to spell it out or act it out."

She said Nathan doesn't do as well in physical activities, but he does not have any physical deficiencies. "He has come a long way," she said.

She said he enjoys playing video games and drawing pictures on a computer.

"His pictures demonstrate how he feels about certain things," she said.

She said Nathan is looking forward to the second annual Autism Speaks walk Sept. 28 at Progressive Field.

After all, a chance to see people dressed in Star Wars' outfits doesn't come along every day.

E-mail: mlesko@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3167