The Warriors Assemble 2017 Fighting Spirit Awards

Around a week ago, courtesy of the Warriors Assemble, a phenomenal event took place.

The Fighting Spirit Awards is a unique event dedicated to celebrating  those who have overcome adversity and extraordinary challenges through martial arts.

This is the 3rd Annual Fighting Spirit Awards, with Fighting For Autism not only being honoured to attend the event, we were also nominated and received  an award, in what was an emotional and inspiring event and witness some remarkable insights on how some truly inspirational individuals are thriving and making a difference within their club but more importantly being a beacon of hope for others to perhaps try something new and write success stories of their own.
This event doesn't just celebrate being different, it embraces it, and that what makes it so incredibly special.

Firstly we would like to thank each and every person involved in Fighting For Autism, the award received is a testament to your hard work and support, you are the true spirit of Fighting For Autism. You are the ones who carry forward the positive message of not only autism awareness but more so acceptance, and encouraging so many to be the very best they can be.
To each and every ambassador and club from around the globe, this is Your award from the dad of a youngster on the spectrum, you are the ones who make the brighter day I am just fortunate enough to be able to write about it.

 

 

 

 

Paulieboy and Tony Bailey explaining what Fighting For autism do around the world, and also saying Thank you to everyone who has taken Fighting For Autism to their hearts

 

The awards are the brainchild of Tony and Sarah Pillage, whose dedication is the stuff that legends are made of, Tony who himself is valiantly battling cancer, hosted the awards as he has done since their creation 3 years ago, a gentleman whose kindness and willingness to help others despite his own challenges was and  is one of the bravest and kindest things I have witnessed, growing up we are often told the most precious thing you could ever give to another human being is your time, Tony Pillage and everyone involved with these awards put their heart and soul into making everyone feel like a superstar in their very own right.
Hero is a word that so very often gets bandied around, Tony and Sarah Pillage truly are heroes in every sense of the word, every nominee and award winner truly was given the VIP treatment and made to feel every ounce like a superstar, and from sitting their in awe of so many wonderful individuals share their emotional experiences, not only did I feel privileged to be in such fine company, but so incredibly lucky to be able to have been able to see and hear some of the most heartfelt insights into how others have adapted to the challenges they face, and used martial arts as a catalyst to truly make a difference to themselves and those around them.
Tony has been pivotal in Autism awareness himself, form getting multiple classes of his club to take part in Autism awareness drives, he has also reached out to the martial arts fraternity to get involved too, he is a rather exceptional human being to say the very least.
Tony and Sarah's courage and humility during Tony's own battle can only be matched by their heart to show the true meaning of martial arts and give those fighting battles of their very own platform to be recognised in their own right, is one of the kindest and selfless acts I've ever witnessed, Thank you will never ever be enough, but going forward the people inspired by others by this event will  go on to make so many people so very proud.

Emotional and kind acts flowed throughout the evening, from Tony Pillage himself cutting his coveted belt into sections and handing it to his closest friends and martial artists would bring tears to even the toughest of the tough, right the way through to a rather amazing raffle prize given by its winner to one of the award winners of the evening.

An old Irish proverb was stated during the evening by Shihan Keith Priestley, and it is so very true and poignant "There are no strangers here, only friends you have yet to meet."

Fighting For Autism was nominated and received an award, this award is a testament to the outstanding efforts of each and every ambassador, club and promotion that has come on board to help us raise Autism Awareness, without the generosity, understanding and willingness to make  a difference to so many, we would be little more than a footnote.
The award the Fighting For Autism received is for each and every one of them, as in effect these are the driving force behind Fighting For Autism, these are the people that #DareToBeDifferent and encourage others to #ShineThroughTheSpectrum

I was in fantastic company with some of  Immortal 365 Martial Arts Academy sitting at the same table as me, a few months ago at an event in Peterborough UK, named "Feel the Force Day", I took my son, Matt is severely autistic and thrives on routine and regime, any hidden surprises can often result in meltdown, within 10 minutes of being shown some brief moves with a lightsabre by Immortal Coach Karl Butcher, I found myself, Matt, a Negan lookalike from the Walking Dead, and Cinderella on stage in front of people having a lightsabre dual in front of a crowd ( no that isn't a mis type, that actually happened)
Seeing first hand the fairy dust that has been sprinkled and the fun that can be had, as a Dad I can only ever say Thank you, that memory will be enshrined in my memory forever more.
Immortal 365 have encouraged some amazing youngsters on the spectrum to try various different martial arts at their academy in Peterborough, are outstanding within their community
Immortal 365 you guys Rock!!!!

 

Paulieboy, Matt and Karl Butcher from Immortal 365

 

On stage at Feel the Force Day

 

Huge thanks to Negan UK for being such a great sport.

Aaron Stevens and David Couldrey, of AS Jujitsu in Thorpe Le Soken, UK, who has set up Autism friendly classes at his club, despite challenges of his own, prides himself on being able to give a fun and caring environment for youngsters on the spectrum to be.
Chris Jones of Chris Jones Martial Arts Centre in Knaresborugh, who has encouraged students at his centre to become autism aware and has had great praise from parents of children on the spectrum too.
Tony Bailey of  Basingstoke Ju Jitsu Club, has been outstanding in being a mentor and a friend to those on the autistic spectrum, and whose knowledge base on Autism is expanding at an ever growing rate.


In the past few years we have had professional athletes, coaches, clubs and junior ambassadors not just push for Autism Awareness globally, these very same people have started to work alongside youngsters and adults on the autistic spectrum too, becoming friends, mentors and confidants to them too.  Next Generation Mixed Martial Arts in Liverpool, who have some of the finest mixed martial artists, Molly McCann- Pearson, Paddy Pimblett, Chris Fishgold, Leeroy Barnes and Paul Bentley to name but a few have been astounding in their support and are encouraging youngsters on the spectrum like Connor Orford and Conor Tollick to  become success stories of their very own.
our next blog will feature them.
Members of Next Generation MMA, have become so much more than just athletes, they have become role models, supporting so many charities, as a kid my thoughts on what made a great martial artist was who could kick the highest, or who had the best technique, its changed so much these martial artists display champion qualities both inside and out of competition, their willingness to help others outside of competition has been phenomenal.

 

 

Fighter Ambassador Chris Fishgold defending his championship belt at Cagewarriors in Liverpool

 

 Fighter Ambassadors Molly McCann Pearson and Paddy Pimblett for Molly's bout at CageWarriors in Liverpool

 

Fighter Ambassador Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett  donating funds he raised to charities in Liverpool.

We have seen both youngsters and adults on the spectrum raising awareness too, creating videos on what Autism means to them, not just growing in confidence but positively thriving.
These are the true recipients of the award, me I just feel honoured in being able to write about them.
In the past 12 months we have seen  youngsters on the spectrum not only compete in their chosen martial art, they have been recognised and received awards in other areas for their efforts, and there are so many more to come. none of which would have ever been possible without the  network of athletes, coaches, clubs and junior ambassadors that not only ask relevant questions on autism, and developing their own knowledge base and put them put into practice.
World class athletes have gone above and beyond the realms of kindness, displaying the Fighting For Autism logo on their banners when they go to compete, but have gone the extra mile to raise a smile not just for those on the spectrum but to their families too, often a journey through Autism can be a lonely experience, slowly but surely people are becoming aware, but importantly those on the spectrum are beginning to show what they can do, and do it very well indeed.
The awards were not solely focused on Autism, so many people from different disciplines in the martial arts and with different abilities  were there to share their story.

Its impossible to say there was a highlight, as each and every award given was done so to people whose remarkable stories should be shouted from the rooftops, I cannot say enough inspiring it was to be in a room full of such amazing people, but seeing and hearing first hand really does mean that the future is incredibly bright and the martial arts community has so very much to be proud of by highlighting these amazing people.

Some of the Fighting For Autism Ambassadors were up for awards of their very own, it was an honour and an emotional experience to say the least to see these awards being given to such outstanding and rather special people.


Carl Clements.
Carl is a Fighting For Autism #VoicesForVoiceless Ambassador, and a student at Adaptive Martial Arts Uk & Ireland.
Here is a brief description about Carl, from his mum Christine.

 

Carl receiving his award at The 2017 Fighting Spirit Awards

With Adaptive Martial Arts UK and Ireland, presented by Tony Bailey of Basingstoke Ju Jitsu Club.

"Born with a failure to thrive Carl has had many challenges throughout his life, at the age of 3 he was diagnosed with a learning disability at the rate of half his age alongside feeding problems from birth which led to him being tube fed first with an NG tube and later with a gastrostomy. There followed many different feeding routines to try to overcome the constant vomiting until the age of 7 when he was diagnosed with a lactose intolerance. It was then we were able to start the long process of teaching him to eat. As Carl had never eaten he hadn’t developed the muscles in his mouth needed for early speech and with his learning disability his speech and vocabulary were both affected as were his fine and gross motor skills"

Despite his challenges Carl is an active member of his martial arts club, Adaptive Martial Arts UK and Ireland who received some truly deserved accolades that evening.
Head Coach Neil Kirkland is a truly remarkable gentleman whose focus is that all abilities should be able to participate and have access to martial arts, Neil has worked with so many martial artists with different abilities and his can do attitude truly brings out the best in people, Carl has travelled all around the United Kingdom and has become a firm favourite with so many different instructors and people alike.

Joshua and Lewis Dyer.
Joshua and Lewis are 2 brothers who are both on the autistic spectrum, and train at Kairos Martial Arts in Retford, here is a bit written about them by their Dad, Simon Fell.

Joshua and Lewis collecting their 2017 Fighting Spirit Award from Tony Pillage and Tony Bailey

 

" Lewis has a diagnosis of ASD and ADHD. Lewis initially started martial arts when he was being home-schooled due to struggling in a mainstream environment and bullying. Martial arts gave him an opportunity to achieve and build trust in people and form relationships. For a year, Lewis didn't speak to anyone, but martial arts has brought him out of his shell, and now leads the class demonstrations with confidence. He is showing true talent in the arts and would like to compete one day. Lewis helps children in class and has a great respectful, caring attitude".

"Joshua has a diagnosis of ASD. He has struggled all his life in mainstream school and has suffered bullying. Despite his challenges and adversity, Joshua continues to show a kind, caring and helpful attitude, shows intelligence and maturity. Joshua helps the children in class who have similar challenges and needs and encourages everybody. A true gentleman. Training helps him with his confidence and provides an inclusive setting where friendships are made".

These 2 amazing brothers have overcome so many of life's challenges, their levels of kindness and humility towards others is astonishing,  sharing  what it feels like to them to be on the autistic spectrum on social media to help raise awareness, they have attended  seminars around the country, as well as take part in hikes and events to help raise awareness to Tony Pillage's battle with cancer.
Simon and Wendy, Lewis's parent also received respective awards as well, a more amazing family who despite challenges of their own, give so much to so many were given a rapturous applause and rightly so.




If you can dream it, and you work hard enough anything is possible, again on behalf of everyone at Fighting For Autism, THANK YOU to everyone involved, you are the ones that encourage people to #DareToBeDifferent  and to #ShineThroughTheSpectrum

EACH AND EVERY AMBASSADOR FROM AROUND THE WORLD, AGAIN WE WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU, FROM AUSTRALIA, THE USA, IRELAND AND THE UK AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR AWARD  

The Inspirational Tony Pillage.

Every now and again a person comes along and makes a tremendous impact on you, I am very fortunate I have got the privilege to meet some of the most amazing people in my journey with Fighting For Autism.

One of the most poignant and inspiring characters, I have had the pleasure in meeting is a gentleman called Tony Pillage.
Tony is not just an incredible martial artist, but he has a gift that is so incredibly rare that I'm not even sure there is an actual word to describe it.

Amongst Tony's many talents he is the proud owner of an outstanding martial arts school in Coventry, called The Way of The Spiritual Warrior, but also a radio show host, an accomplished author and above all he is  an inspirational man that really does bring the best out of people, when Fighting For Autism did the punchbag challenge for Autism Awareness a while back, we had some incredible people take part in the challenge, some clubs didn't just pick up the ball and run with it, they lifted the entire pitch and run with it, Tony's club was one of these incredible clubs.
One of his classes that took part in the challenge (Tony's club did 3 in total) was the Coventry Muslim School, as Tony explained this wasn't just some of the children's first experience with Martial arts, a large number of the children at the school had come from some of the most war torn places on the planet, this was also one of the first places outside of school where these youngsters could in fact be kids, and with Tony's style of teaching have had a huge amount of fun and amongst other things have been raising Autism awareness.

Have a look at the video clips and you will see why Tony is such an amazing character.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlS4h5Eef4A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmhwI-19ztQ


This is a chap who has one of the most infectious senses of humour, and lights up a room in the best possible way, which holds him in such high regards with all who meet him.
Tony is also one of the main organisers of The Warriors Assemble- Fighting Spirit Awards, which is a unique awards ceremony that celebrates diversity in Martial Arts, which sees Martial Artists who have overcome significant adversity and thrive through martial arts, the importance of these awards cannot be put into words, the insights given by the winners of these awards are beyond vital as they serve as a beacon of hope, and show just what the human spirit is capable of, if it is channelled correctly, to say this gentleman has done so much for Fighting For Autism would be an understatement, Tony has helped attract from around the United Kingdom, martial arts athletes , clubs and coaches to not only become Autism aware, some of these are actually running Autism friendly sessions as well at their respective clubs.


Tony is also battling Cancer...

Tony has had operations to remove 2 cancerous tumours, and continues to battle, often putting himself last over others, sadly the treatments that are on offer are unavailable through the health service in the United Kingdom, which means that Tony himself is having to meet the significant costs in his battle himself, all proceeds from the copies of Tony's book "Breaking Bob" are going directly towards Tony's fighting fund, and some amazing Martial artists from around the world have been hosting seminars where all proceeds are also going Tony's Fighting Fund.

There is a Health and Healing Seminar being held by some amazing martial artists

Sunday the  13th of August at

The Way of The Spiritual Warrior Dojo,

520 Foleshill Road,

Coventry,

UK.

All proceeds will be going towards Tony's treatments.

If you have any form of social media please put the Hashtag  #Tony Pillage and help us to send as many well wishes to Tony as we possibly can from around the globe, via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook for anyone that may want to donate to Tony's Fighting Fund the link is https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/anthony-pillage-726

If you could bottle the spirit of Fighting For Autism, you would find a healthy dose of Tony Pillage running straight through the centre, Tony and Sarah from each and every one of us at Fighting For Autism, we are sending our love to you in your battle and you are both in all of our thoughts.

Fighting with Autism- Strong, Autistic, Female & Empowered (SAFE)

Over autism awareness and acceptance month, huge onus is placed upon the youngsters who along with their families are beginning their journey on the spectrum, huge leaps are made in these realms, sometimes frustrating as it sounds it is a case of "one step forwards and three steps back", this is the ideal time for people to share their experiences with emphasis is put on awareness campaigns and rightly so, by removing the barriers it enriches us all to accept everyone irrespective of how different they may be.
Yes it is a month of heightened awareness, but for those on the spectrum and their loved ones it still leaves a further 11 months where the battle for acceptance rumbles on.

Depending where you are in the world the statistic varies, one country will say 1 in 100 people are on the spectrum, another will say its 1 in 68.
Frightening isn't it thinking that the difference in the percentages vary so massively and that all depends on what country you reside in, but then if you were take either one of those numbers and divide it by the worlds population the figure is startling to say the least, if 2 of the worlds leading countries in autism diagnosis have a difference in percentage, then look at the global statistics with some nations still being in the dark ages without adequate access for people to get a diagnosis let alone access to the services required that can make the world of difference to the person and to their families.
Then you have the varying levels of autism, as it is a spectrum that covers many complex conditions, so no 2 cases are ever truly the same, you often get to hear of those who excel in a certain subject or speciality, but on the other hand there are cases where every day is a battle, not just to get additional support required but also against bigotry and misunderstanding, as Autism doesn't have a look it is often misunderstood and misinterpreted by still many people despite awareness drives and campaigns, awareness is one thing acceptance is another thing entirely.

One of the core groups that seems to slip beneath the radar are the ladies who are on the autistic spectrum, although one of the most celebrated and recognised people on the spectrum is Dr Temple Grandin, a world renowned professor of animal science, author and many other accolades including an entry as being one of the worlds top 100 influential people by times Magazine in 2010, and in her early years had to battle daily against bullying with the persistent  name calling of  " tape recorder"  called owing to her repetitive speech,
Dr Grandin did not receive a formal diagnosis of being on the spectrum allegedly until she was in her forties.
The incredible part is that you have someone with a what is often described as a social interaction disability, has gone on to  be recognised for taking the feeling of animals into consideration and her theory now put into practice around the world.

With that in mind and the importance of female role models within the autism community, we have asked ambassadors from around the globe who are Strong, Autistic, Female and Empowered to give an insight into what autism means to them and importantly what if any changes they would like to see occur in regards to the support and assistance that is received.
What we are hearing of however are that cases of the females on the autistic spectrum being under represented, and often without support in daily life.
and with that in mind we have launched the Fighting For Autism -S.A.F.E initiative.
We have been fortunate enough to have some incredible ambassadors from around the globe, some of whom are female and are on the spectrum themselves, so they are more than aware of the challenges that are faced.

 

What makes the SAFE initiative different?

 

The reason behind the SAFE initiative is to give females on the spectrum a voice, also to heighten awareness and acceptance, by asking females on the spectrum to share their stories, and step forward not just as positive role models for those on the spectrum but for females of all ages,

 

Chloe Spiteri:

Freestyle Wrestler, Mixed Martial Artist, Teacher

 

Chloe is a Fighting For Autism, Fighter Ambassador who resides in the United Kingdom.

Chloe is multi time national champion and Commonwealth competitor in Freestyle wrestling and an aspiring mixed martial artist, aside from her achievements in sport, Chloe is also a teacher, she is renowned for giving inspiring speeches and insights on life as a female on the spectrum and the challenges that come with it.

 

Claire Smith.

Boxer, Mixed Marital Artist, Mother 

 

Claire is a Fighting For Autism, Fighter Ambassador who resides in the United Kingdom.

Claire is champion martial artist and Boxer who also is an amazing mum, dedicating her time between training and bringing up a child, Claire has also written some absolutely outstanding blogs on her experiences of being on the autistic spectrum, Claire has avidly been involved in assisting Fighting For Autism in the UK.

 

Serena DeJesus

Mixed Martial Artist, Writer  

  

Serena is Fighting For Autism Fighter Ambassador who resides in the USA.

Serena is a champion Mixed Martial Artist and an outstanding writer whose is also a regular attendee on podcasts in the USA.

Serena's insight into Autism is outstanding, as she explains in a way that both people on and off the autistic spectrum can relate to and understand, explaining her own experiences with passion for autism awareness and acceptance.

 

These are 3 outstanding young ladies who are carving their way in being role models to people both on and off the autistic spectrum, we know there are a lot more females who definitely have a story to tell and we would like to hear from them, importantly we would like to build a network and show that not only is it ok to talk about experiences of being on the autistic spectrum, but also to highlight the obstacles that are faced and how some remarkable people have overcome them and are thriving.

 

Please get in touch with us via our Facebook page www.Facebook.com/FightingForAutism or Twitter www.Twitter.com/FightForAutism

 

Voices For The Voiceless- The Inspiring story of Carl Clements.

We have been so incredibly fortunate at Fighting For Autism to have met some amazing individuals who have joined in the fight for awareness and acceptance, these phenomenal individuals come from a multitude of different backgrounds across the globe, todays blog is written by his mum Christine, and is about a young man that brightens a room wherever he goes, his passion for martial arts and life is infectious, this gentleman is Carl Clements whom we are absolutely honoured to have as a Fighting For Autism - Voices for the Voiceless Ambassador.

"Someone recently said to me ‘I’ve just been watching your son, odd little chap isn’t he?’ and it occurred to me that people who haven’t known him very long don’t really get his little Carlisms. So I thought I’d tell you a little about him.
Born with a failure to thrive Carl has had many challenges throughout his life, at the age of 3 he was diagnosed with a learning disability at the rate of half his age alongside feeding problems from birth which led to him being tube fed first with an NG tube and later with a gastrostomy. There followed many different feeding routines to try to overcome the constant vomiting until the age of 7 when he was diagnosed with a lactose intolerance. It was then we were able to start the long process of teaching him to eat. As Carl had never eaten he hadn’t developed the muscles in his mouth needed for early speech and with his learning disability his speech and vocabulary were both affected as were his fine and gross motor skills.
Fast forward many years of speech therapy and physiotherapy and many trips to various hospital departments covering almost everything from head to foot (literally) Carl isn’t diagnosed with Autism but I can see similarities on Carl's Journey as experienced by those on the big and beautiful spectrum.

Carl on the Mat at the Fighting For Autism Seminar held by club affiliate Immortal 365
under the watchful eye of Coach Ambassador Tony Bailey

In 2012 I received an email from Cambridge’s disability sport initiative inviting Carl to participate in a 6 week summer course of Martial Arts run by Cambridge Kung Fu and that is where he met his now friend and Sensei Neil Kirkland. Neil immediately got his Carlisms and Carl had a great time. At the end of the course we had a dilemma, for Carl to continue with martial arts where could he go? For his age (18 at the time) he should join the adults, not an option. For his size he should join the youths, again not an option as his learning disability means he could never keep up and for his ability he should join the very young class, obviously not an option, he was 18! Neil told me to leave it with him and true to his word a few weeks later contacted me with details of a new class. The Snow Leopards, a class for any kind of disability has grown from strength to strength and Carl continues to attend every week. In the meantime Neil set up his own association, Adaptive Martial Arts UK and Ireland open to anyone, any age any ability, is fully inclusive and means me and Carl can train together. It has provided many opportunities to meet some truly inspirational and brilliant people and led to Carl being given the great honour of becoming a Voice for the Voiceless Ambassador with Fighting For Autism.

 

Throughout all of this and despite many years of looking and testing no one has ever been able to give us a reason for Carl’s disability until... now! We have recently received confirmation, thanks to the advance in technology, of a diagnosis of Noonans Syndrome, a genetic disorder that proves a mutation of one of Carl’s genes. So after 23 years of not knowing we now have an answer, it’s quite something but won’t make any difference to Carl and his little Carlisms.

So there he is, Carl Clements, in a rather big and long winded nutshell, my very own Peter Pan, my fully qualified X-Man, my Hero".

Carl With his coaches Robbie and Neil from Adaptive Martial Arts UK and Ireland, along with Coach Ambassador Anthony Pillage

Carl continues to go from strength to strength, his willingness to learn and make a brighter day for everyone despite of the challenges and adversities that he has faced is truly the stuff that legends are made of, earlier this year Carl was in hospital and was incredibly poorly, but bounced back with enthusiasm and spark, Coach Ambassador Neil Kirkland and everyone at Adaptive Martial Arts UK and Ireland really do bring the very best out in people, Neil was recently awarded Community Martial Artist of the Year at the British Martial Art Awards, an award given to a remarkable man who most definitely dares to be different and whose club, friendship and guidance will see so many inspiring stories of some of the most courageous people you could ever meet is what the world needs to see more of.
The Snow Leopards class that is run by Neil's school does really strike a chord, as the snow leopard is unable to  roar like the other big cats, but certainly adapt to their surroundings, for more details on Adaptive Martial Arts UK And Ireland please check out their Facebook page.
                        https://en-gb.facebook.com/AdaptiveMartialArtsUkAndIreland/

Carl holding the runner up award for Seminar of the Year at the 2017 British Martial Arts Awards along with Head of Fighting For Autism ( Europe) Paul, and Coach Ambassadors Pete Holmes, Chris Jones, Tony Bailey, Neil Kirkland, Steve Lloyd and Russell Jarmesty.

The award was won for the Fighting For Autism Seminar held at Immortal 365 Martial Arts Academy in Peterborough UK.

 

We also wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and every ambassador and club involved with Fighting For Autism, the award received is testament to the hard work, care  and support shown by some of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet who are dedicated to making a difference to so many , these are the true superheroes that are allowing some phenomenal people to chase their dreams and show the world that Impossible really means I Am Possible, if you dare to be different.

 

And finally a massive Thank You to Christine for an amazing write up on a truly remarkable young man, Carl you are a Superstar :-)

 

 

 

Fighting For Autism- Shining through the spectrum, Joshua's Story

In todays blog we would like to introduce you to Joshua Wilding, who lives in Derbyshire United Kingdom.

Joshua's story has been submitted by his mum Amanda who runs the Warriors Within Martial Arts Club which is in Belper, Derbyshire, United Kingdom.
Amanda is also a Fighting For Autism Coach Ambassador who is raising autism awareness and acceptance in her classes as well as being Mum to a young superstar on the autistic spectrum.

 

Joshua wearing his Fighting For Autism Cap

"Joshua is 18 years old, he has Autism and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, he as severe sensory and sensitivity, and severe Anxiety and Panic disorder. He suffers from IBS, and he has to have quarterly injections for Vitamin B12.

Joshua struggles socially, he becomes very distressed when people are around him, he struggles to cope with it, he doesn’t like being anywhere busy and he doesn’t like being in shops. He doesn’t like going to parks or open spaces also, as he becomes terrified of birds, and dogs. He is happier in his own room, in his own space. Also Joshua struggles to walk far, so he as to go in a wheelchair which then makes him more aware of the environment around him, he cannot walk far as his muscles in his leg start to really hurt, the way josh explains how he feels after trying to walk for so long is " my legs hurt like someone is hitting them or pushing something in to them and my whole body feels the same" and he will be in pain for up to 3 weeks just for trying a 10 minute walk. Josh explains is M.E. as " everyday I get up I feel like I have the flu, my whole body hurts and I am in constant pain with it, I feel exhausted.

Joshua came out of school when he was 13 years old and had to be home schooled, which he also did his GCSE’S from home, he took the exams at home for Science, English and Maths, he has 2 Science GSCES, and passed Maths twice, but failed one part of his English, so didn’t get his English. he was so poorly at the time, and it all started with just tonsilitus, it then went to laryngitis , to the stage he was put on steroids. He never came back from then, his illness took over and turned to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Up to the age of 13 Josh had always been quite healthy apart from getting tonsillitis frequently or ear infections, but healthy. Now he cant walk far, doesn’t like leaving the house, cant eat meals properly without suffering, and cant cope with noises, smells, outside places.

But Joshua is a very very clever young man, 2 years ago he taught himself quantum physics, he taught himself to code, and he can now code in 8 different languages. He built his own computer, and he loves to design games.

He can build websites, he can design as he designed my logo for my martial arts club, and he has designed other things as well, he can build apps and do so much more.

a sample of some of what Joshua can do, this remarkable gentleman is entirely self taught, imagine how bright his future could be with some encouragement and guidance

Joshua’s aim is to build games but due to his social issues he cant cope going to college or university and sitting in a room of people, we tried this with him when he was 17, and we ended up at the hospital with him having severe panic attacks to the stage they thought there was something wrong with his heart, for one day in college just to enrol, took him one year to get over it. So I tried to get help for him to do a course from home, I applied to several colleges and no one would let him do a course from home. I contacted my local politician. which they said they would help, which in all fairness I had a few phone calls but nothing ever happened, we are still waiting. I begged for them to keep in education but no one wanted to help, so now Joshua doesn’t have that luxury and he should be allowed to be in education until he is 25 as he as Autism.

I paid for on online course last year for a beginners programme built your own game, which he received a diploma and he was so proud. However there isn’t courses available for Joshua’s needs, he is happy to do courses but needs to do them from home".

Are you in a position to help Josh?
This young gentleman has a remarkable gift, Joshua's passion is for anything that is computer related, and he dreams of building his own personal computer so he can widen his knowledge base, perhaps you know someone who is involved in the computer world or computer games industry, this amazing young man uses his ability and passion as a means of speaking to the outside world and can produce some incredible results, How cool would it be to see what Joshua can do with some advice from people in those industries, perhaps someone who is developing a distance learning course that Josh can study or maybe you have a part that you may want to donate so that Josh can build his dream personal computer.


Fighting For Autism advocates and encourages those with autism to shine through the spectrum, if you can help in any way please contact either ourselves or Joshua's mum Amanda at warriorwithinmartialarts@gmail.com

Or there a Just Giving Page that has been set up.


https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/amanda-wilding-3?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Yimbyprojectpage&utm_content=amanda-wilding-3&utm_campaign=projectpage-share-owner&utm_term=kDjEyJX4J


a huge thank you to Amanda for sharing Joshua's story.

Fighting with Autism- Lewis "Twitch" Daykin

Fighting For Autism has had some absolutely amazing people come onboard as Fighter ambassadors , one of the things we pride ourselves on is actively involving those from within the autism community, in hope that their success stories go on to trigger the spark that will ignite so many more.

One of these ambassadors is a gentleman from Yorkshire in the United Kingdom named
Lewis "Twitch" Daykin.
Lewis is a larger than life character, an amazing personality that truly does shine through the spectrum and encompasses the message of Fighting For Autism message to Dare to be Different.
This gentleman along with our friends at Almighty Fighting Championship in Leeds, UK went to do fundraise from which the proceeds raised went to give 30 Fighting For Autism Junior ambassadors from around the world their own Fighting For Autism hoody and choice of patch or a  baseball cap, these youngsters are both on and off the spectrum and raising awareness in their respective clubs and in competition and driving the message of Autism awareness and most of all acceptance and understanding, and with some truly inspiring stories of their own.
Lewis truly does have a heart of gold.



My name is Lewis “Twitch” Daykin
I have Aspergers Syndrome, I have been doing boxing and Muay Thai now for nearly 9 years (including competing 2 years) my idol is world champion Muay Thai fighter  John Wayne Parr and I hope to train with him one day.
Besides training and competing, I love motorbikes.

How does Aspergers impact on your life?
“Well it impacts me with like new situations or going new places or having changes in my life and I do take things to heart a lot, but if someone explains everything to me slowly and n in a way i can understand i can be ok, so if I don’t understand something I will tell you that I don’t understand and because of that I can have a short temper sometimes“.

How old were you when you were diagnosed?
“I think i was about 3 years old when i was diagnosed with autism, according to my Mum“.


How was school whilst you were growing up?
“To be honest it was tough n not to sound like a sob story but I only had a few friends as I found it hard to make friends i was easily distracted at school n since autism was a relatively new thing non of the teachers really knew what to do same when i was in high school i was bullied throughout, for being autistic and the "freak" amongst many others name I was jumped about 7 times in high school, my Mum and Dad did every thing they could to make sure I was ok or as good as I could be“.

 A young Lewis whilst on holiday with a friend

How has Boxing and Muay Thai helped you?
“It helped me by giving me confidence in going out n been able to talk to new people and learning about the Thai culture and handling things better, I don’t think I could live without it” .

Lewis has also gone onto coach youngster at the gym where he trains Ludus Magnus

Who have been your biggest influences in your training?
“My biggest influences in training are champion Muay Thai fighter, John Wayne Parr but my biggest influences are Neil Wain and John Popelwell I want to be as successful as them they have made there mark on the combat world and I want to follow in there foot steps. (I love them both like family J )”.

Lewis in competition at a boxing event.

What would be your advice be to someone on the autistic spectrum be?
“Hmmm my advice would be yes things in life are going to be hard really hard but set a goal in life start of with small goals and gradually make bigger ones if you are on the  autistic spectrum, please understand that  you are more awesome than you can ever imagine J ”.

Fighting with Autism - Smashing down Stereotypes, Daring to be Different with Boxing

We proudly introduce 5 gifted young boxers, each one of them is a Fighting For Autism Junior Ambassador and each of them is on the Autistic Spectrum
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Josh Westcott, Alex MacDonald, Zak Lovell, Nas Stowell and Rhys McCole

In a little over a year Fighting For Autism, started the Junior Ambassador programme with young champions both on and off the Autistic Spectrum from around the globe helping to raise awareness through their chosen sport or martial art whether it be  Boxing, Jiu Jitsu, Taekwondo, Judo, Muay Thai, Kickboxing and the list goes on, with some truly inspiring journeys and stories being shared.

In the past year Fighting for Autism has accrued some of inspiring youngsters from around the world to help raise awareness together with us and at their respective clubs  and when they compete.
the amazing part is that the Junior Ambassadors are made up of future champions who are both on and off the autistic Spectrum todays blog brings you an insight into 5 of these individuals who are not only boxers, but are also on the autistic spectrum.

Josh Westcott, Zak Lovell, Nas Stowell, Rhys McCole from the United Kingdom and Alex MacDonald from the USA, are not just training and competing but also inspiring each other and others to perhaps try something new and pick up a new skill.
To say these gentlemen were inspiring would be an understatement these young men are leading the way in smashing down stereotypes, and shining the torch high for so many other people to show the world what they can do.
Last year, Nas, Rhys, Josh and Zak got the chance to interview former WBC world champion
Wayne "Pocket Rocket" McCullough, their passion for their sport is phenomenal, and the questions asked were excellent.

Hearing amazing insights about these young men from their parents, carers and coaches on how through boxing, notable improvements socially and academically has gone on to see them blossom into gentleman that are truly something to be proud of, they are an absolute credit to themselves, their families, their clubs, their sport and #FightingForAutism


Nas(Naseem) " T-Rex" Stowell- Junior Ambassador from Hessle, England

 

 

 

 



"I always knew Nas was different but no one would listen to me. When he started school age 4 he could hardly speak and cried constantly as he rocked back and forth.
By the age of 7 he had been labelled the naughty child in school, had no friends and was struggling to survive at school. His naughty label followed him through school, where he was falling further behind and spending hours in isolation.
I was called into school every day and told he was disrupting the class with his strange noises and periods of zoning out. I told him he wasn’t naughty and begged for help.
Nas started play therapy two afternoons a week as well as school and home observations with a psychologists followed by months of testing at the children’s centre. All through this the school told me I would never get a diagnosis for Nas and that he would never achieve anything as he was simply just naughty.
Eventually when Nas was 10 the results come in, Nas was diagnosed with ADHD, Tic’s and falls into the spectrum for Autism as he has many autistic traits.
Naseem Started on medication twice a day and the change was amazing, he could suddenly focus and began to catch up.
Nas went from 60/70% attendance at school to 100% also making a couple of friends and was happy.
Naseem started to train in 2012  and took to Boxing Instantly, boxing has now become his passion and he trains every day.
Naseem has had 6 fights, won 3 and lost 3 and won best boxer of the night 3 times and has also won the most dedicated boxer award at the club". (Liz - Nas's Mum)

In between this Nas is a keen fundraiser, putting his feet to the floor, doing sponsored runs to raise funds for his boxing club so that they can purchase new equipment so other kids can benefit from the sport just as he has.

Josh Westcott - Boxer and  Junior Ambassador from Glasgow, Scotland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Josh was diagnosed with Asperger's when he was 10 after 5 hard years fighting to get the school and doctor to listen. Josh was bullied by staff in his primary school and received a written and verbal apology for it. He started boxing 3 and a half years ago after completing CBT for the anger he had from being bullied. From the very first boxing session Josh was hooked, improving and growing every week. Boxing has helped every area in Josh's life, from confidence, self esteem, patience, even helping him not be fast reacting to frustrating situations, and he now also helps coach his clubs under 12 class, it has been 100% beneficial.

Josh doesn't have his nickname yet, some call him "Juggernaut Josh" although he's not used it at a bout yet. He boxes as a 75kg Junior Middleweight which is tough to match for in Scotland as his year peers have always been smaller, we're hoping for more matches as his peers stretch. Josh boxes out of Bellahouston Boxing Club in Southside Glasgow Scotland. (Serena- Josh's Mum )

Josh has also gone on to become good friends and a training partner to Junior Ambassador  Rhys McCole

 

 

Zak "Rocky"  Lovell- Boxer and Junior Ambassador from Burton on Trent, England

 

 

 

 

"Zak is 16 years old,  He is 59kg, and fights for Burton Amateur Boxing Club, he has had one skills bout and competitive bout, his club said he did them really proud.   Zak trains 4 nights a week at Burton ABC, and then a 5th night at the club with coach Neville Brown - he also has some private coaching sessions with Neville". ( Cat-Zak's Mum, who has gone on to gain a boxing qualification)

 

Zak was inspired to become a Junior Ambassador by Nas "T-Rex" Stowell, and is going from strength to strength.

At Christmas we asked for  festive posts to be put up with a Fighting For Autism hash tag, with the winner receiving a pair of customised Fighting For Autism Gloves, Zak's post not only that wasn't your average yuletide theme, but what it did do was look at a young gentleman who has come so far on his journey, never gave up, keeps practicing and is becoming better and better at the sport he loves on a daily basis.
a young man inspired by boxing greats like the "Brockton Blockbuster" Rocky Marciano this is where Zak has taken his fighting nickname from.

 

 

Alex "White Chocolate" MacDonald - Boxer and  Junior Ambassador from New York USA

 

 

 

 "I started boxing 1 year ago and loved it ever since. Growing up with autism no one really understands me. No one had my back so I would always have my own. People who always call me names and harass me non stop. I always stood up for myself and not run away. I would always confront them and never back down. This lead to me getting my butt kicked everyday. It was not until 10th grade were I wanted to play a sport. I found out wrestling a few days into 12th grade and joined the team. After the season was over I wanted to be in another combat sport. I wanted to box when I was young so I started boxing 1 year ago. Right now I love boxing more than anything in the world. I have found my purpose in life. It is to be the best boxer in history and to do it having autism. I know if I accomplish that there will be so many people who will think differently about them having autism. They will start having themselves to a higher standard in life. They will not think autism is a curse, they will start thinking it's a blessing".(Alex McDonald)

Alex is Fighting For Autism's first boxing Junior Ambassador in the USA and is highly regarded by his coaches and training partners.

Rhys McCole-  Boxer and Junior Ambassador from Greenock, Scotland

 

 

 

 

Rhys is a young gentleman who has over come significant adversity, Rhys not only is on the Autistic Spectrum but also faced battles with asthma, multiple holes in his heart, visual disorder and
Meares-Irlen Syndrome  as well.
Rhys who started boxing at the age of 10, and has gone on to capture gold medals at National level, a few months back Rhys was in hospital not knowing if he'd be able to compete, not only did he get out of hospital, he went on to win his weight category, his determination and dedication have seen him earn praise from Sports Scotland.
Rhys has said  " Boxing has given me the chance to flourish and make friends, its helping me to progress as a person as well as an athlete".

"Rhys was born with four holes in his heart and spent time in intensive care as a baby. He fought then and he is still fighting, despite being diagnosed with five other disabilities and learning difficulties.
Boxing has been a life-changer for Rhys and he had to battle his way into it as there is no disabled strand in boxing within Scotland. Luckily, consultants gave him the green light to be a mainstream boxer and he has excelled.
His hard work and dedication have not only led to him winning medals and titles but also many admirers at his sheer bravery and unwavering belief that everyone should be treated equally".
James- Rhys's carer.