Maven

June 26, 2012
By Dina

After her son Maven placed second in the Little Miss & Mr. Mississippi Pageant, proud mom Dina was asked to say a few words. Here is what she said:

Hi, I just want to share something with all of you about Maven that you are unaware of. First and foremost I want to give thanks to God because without Him, this moment wouldn't be possible. Secondly, thank you to our sponsors. Maven was born with bilateral clubbed feet and distal arthrogryposis of both of his thumbs. At 18 months old he stopped talking and regressed into autism. He is now 4 years old and his feet are perfect, his thumbs are great and we have made tremendous headway with his autism, yet he is still unable to speak.

So this win isn't just for Maven and it isn't just for me. This win is for every child with autism who feels inferior. It’s for every mother and father who have a child with autism and feel hopeless. Thank you. 

“Everybody clapped and one by one people started standing up,” Dina told us. “It was EVERYTHING I could do not to cry. It was an incredible moment.”