Norwell resident plans walk from California to Florida to 'give a face to autism'

NORWELL – When Michael McKenna was 18 months old, he lost his ability to speak and play with other kids his age.

His behavior grew difficult and he was a danger to himself, his father, Mike McKenna, said. McKenna and his wife, Lori, struggled to find the proper help for the baby, who was soon diagnosed with severe autism.

The family's saving grace came from The New England Center for Children, McKenna said, and his son is now 21 years old and doing better than anyone thought he could.

“Unless you’re embroiled in it, you can’t really understand just how difficult it is,” McKenna said of raising a child with autism. "All of his gains are a direct result of (The New England Center for Children). The fact that he has made so many gains that otherwise would be impossible, the fact that he has some dignity now, that’s all because of the teachers and support staff at NECC.”

Mike McKenna is training to walk across America to raise awareness and money for autism education Monday, Jan. 23, 2023.
Mike McKenna is training to walk across America to raise awareness and money for autism education Monday, Jan. 23, 2023.

Now McKenna is raising money for the organization that he said "basically saved all of our lives" with a plan to walk across the country and raise awareness for autism education. He's been training for eight months and has lost about 70 pounds to “give a face to autism.” With the walk, he said he aims to introduce his son to the world and educate people about how debilitating the condition can be.

“A lot of these kids don’t talk,” McKenna said. “What I want to do is just be an ambassador for these kids that can’t speak for themselves. I want them to know that they matter. I want the world to think they matter. I also want them to understand a little bit about autism, perhaps more than they do now.”

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The walk will start Feb. 1 at the Santa Monica Pier in California. McKenna will head east through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama before reaching the finish line in Jacksonville, Florida.

He said he hopes to raise $150,000 for The New England Center for Children to support students, research and professional development for teachers across the country.

He said it's also important for people to understand the heartbreak that comes with autism and knowing that there is no cure, just the possibility for improvement.

"It’s very demanding. It is lifelong, and the struggle is lifelong, the learning is lifelong," McKenna said. "When they lose skills, that will always happen, and they have to regain skills. A lot of people don’t understand that. ... You never know what someone is dealing with."

Mike McKenna is training to walk across America to raise awareness and money for autism education Monday, Jan. 23, 2023.
Mike McKenna is training to walk across America to raise awareness and money for autism education Monday, Jan. 23, 2023.

McKenna, 56, said he has the time to take the 2,500-mile walk after selling two of his companies, Partners Benefit Group and Reimbursement Specialists.

He said he feels prepared for the trek but is a little nervous about the distance. Despite the challenge, he said he wants his son and others with autism to know that he will never stop the fight.

“We will never give up on them," he said. "We’ll always strive to be more understanding, to work harder and to help these kids through education and through medicine.”

Blue Cross Blue Shield is McKenna's main sponsor for the walk. The company has donated $15,000 to McKenna's online fundraiser.

Rockland Trust is also a sponsor, as are Boston Mutual Life Insurance, Driscoll Insurance & Bonds, Employee Benefit Systems, Lorusso Heavy Equipment and Synthesis Health Systems.

For more information and to follow the walk, visit necc.org/mike-walk.

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Reach Joel Barnes at jkbarnes@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Norwell dad to 'give a face to autism' with walk across America