Stories of Impact

Nigel

Ten-year-old Nigel is an amazing young man. He has a passion for the Brewers, Godzilla and life. Nigel was diagnosed with autism before the age of two. He lives with his grandparents, Valerie and Tony, his sister, Svannah, and his two dogs, Bailey and Buddy. Nigel’s supportive family has never let his diagnosis define his limits. Instead, they have encouraged him to explore his interests and passions to create a world where he can thrive.

When you spend time with Nigel, you can’t help but feel his childhood sense of wonder and excitement as he shares his stories about Godzilla and the Milwaukee Brewers. He received a lot of media attention in 2018 after giving some of his Godzilla figurines to Brewers players for good luck. His belief in harnessing the power of Godzilla brought smiles to many of their faces and helped fuel the Brewers first trip to the post season in seven years.

Valerie worked with Curative’s Service Coordinator, Anna, to connect the family with vital community resources they needed to make life easier for Nigel and the family.

“Curative was right there from the beginning helping us in so many ways.”

She shared that Nigel has made a lot of progress. “He used to be severely nonverbal and would often hit himself in the head,” said Valerie. “It is so important to get intensive therapy as soon as possible.”

Nigel is now working on goals related to social engagement with his peers and self-care tasks to help him be more independent in his daily living skills.