Bobber

I've been pondering this for awhile, trying to figure out how best to put in to words. I fish for the usual reasons...because I love it, I love being outdoors, been fishing since I learned how to walk, gives me a break from reality, etc, etc. But, at the heart of my obsession with the sport is my son Kaden. I'll try and keep this short...Kaden has a very rare chromosome disorder called 48XXYY Syndrome. He is one of only about a thousand diagnosed cases world-wide. With this disorder comes a lot of learning disabilities and psychological / mental health issues. The best way to describe this disorder is to list everything else that he has been diagnosed with: Autism, Aspergers, Speech Aproxia, ADHD, Bipolar, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, PDD NOS, and probably a few more that I can't remember. All of this wrapped up into one. Needless to say, he has a lot of challenges. He is not "normal" and does not fit in with other kids his age. The biggest problem is...he KNOWS it...but can't change it. He struggles every day, trying his best to be "normal", to fit in, but just can't quite do it, which leads to a lot of behavioral outbursts that don't help his plight to fit in at all. I honestly cannot even imagine what it must be like to walk in his shoes. Fortunately for me, Kaden loves to fish. It doesn't matter to him if were pond fishing for bluegills, trout fishing, ice fishing, or trolling. Fishing gives him a chance to just be Kaden...to be himself and not worry about what anyone else thinks. It gives him a chance to feel successful...to feel good about himself... to be proud of something... to be truly happy inside. So, I guess, I fish for Kaden. And for me, being able to witness the glean of happiness, awe, and wonder in his eyes that I rarely see except when we're fishing is...honestly...undescribable. I can't put it into words. But...we fish every day. Kyle