Els continues quest for autism support
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents
Ben Els is 5 years old, and he loves to watch "Thomas the Tank Engine" on TV. Eight-year-old Mason Kresge's tastes run more toward playing his Nintendo Wii and learning Tae Kwon Do.
That's not unusual. Kids around the world have similar interests. Not every one of those youngsters has autism, though, like Ben and Mason do.
Their fathers -- Ernie Els and Cliff Kresge -- both play the PGA TOUR. And this week at the Verizon Heritage, they're helping to raise awareness of the developmental disability that affects one out of every 150 children in the United States.
April is Autism Awareness Month. A card was placed in every player's locker at Harbour Town on behalf of Els and Kresge telling them that blue Autism Speaks awareness pins will be available on the starting tees Thursday and Saturday, if they'd like to show their support.
Autism impairs social interaction and communication, causing restrictive and repetitive behavior that typically starts before a child is 3. It is four times more prevalent in boys than in girls. People are affected by autism in varying degrees and in different ways. There is no cure, but autism is treatable, and -- with early diagnosis and intervention -- full, healthy and meaningful lives can be led.
Els first revealed that Ben had autism at the PODS Championship last month in interviews with the Associated Press and GOLF CHANNEL. He now carries a bag with an Autism Speaks logo on it, and he has been overwhelmed by the response.
"I can't tell you how many e-mails we got," Els said. "(They) were from parents -- especially from the dads -- where they said that they were really happy that ... a man is talking out about it, speaking out about it, because it seems like the men in the relationships have been very quiet and kind of withdrawn from it because you don't want anybody to know about your situation, which is normal, because we're all proud people and you don't want your problems out in public."
Before Els spoke out about his son's battle, he talked with his family -- wife, Liezl, and their 8-year-old daughter Samantha as well as Ben -- to make sure everyone was comfortable with it. Liezl also plans to film a PSA and to do several interviews this week, and both GOLF CHANNEL and CBS plan to promote the project during their telecast of the Verizon Heritage this week.
"Again, the warning is that it could happen to anybody on this range," the 38-year-old Els said. "Where I'm standing hitting balls yesterday, I'm looking around, and all these guys are much younger than me, and some of those don't have families yet, and it could happen to anybody out there.
"We all want to have families, and we all want to live happily ever after. But things happen in life, and you've got to be more prepared when it happens. ... So that's basically why we want to come out and talk about it."
Els said he and his wife first began to notice things with Ben when he was very young. He didn't walk until he was 2, and he had a habit of wiggling his hands. They took him to numerous doctors, who put him through exhaustive tests and eventually Ben was put under the autism spectrum.
Els met a family in South Africa who had a 30-year-old with autism. When he's there on vacation, Els plays golf with him -- he's a 12-handicap -- and talks with his family about how the young man was reared. He also began comparing notes with people on the Internet and wondering what the future holds for Ben.
"It is a tough situation, you know?" Els said. "So you really think of the future of the kid, of Ben. That's the thing that really worries me is what's the future going to hold. He's still quite small and young, where young kids really accept him.
"But what happens when he gets older? Then you're really going to see the difference in his behavior and things like he does. So that's the worry that you have, is you just hope that you can do the best for his future."
At the same time, Els thinks Ben will be fine. He's got a great sense of humor, and he's not the kind of child who avoids contact with others, like the most severely afflicted. He'll never want for money, either, and Els thinks he'll be able to get through high school.
Toward that end, Els, who has homes in England and his native South Africa, plans to move his family to Palm Beach, Fla., this summer because he feels the treatment options in America are more advanced than in other parts of the world. He wants to enroll Ben in the Rainbow School there, and Samantha -- who looks after her brother "like a mom would," Els said -- has already found an elementary school she likes.
"You know, a good friend of mine who's been kind of a mentor of mine has always said that life loves you, you don't love life," Els said. "You can't control what happens. The good Lord gave us a good challenge here, and he won't give it to people that can't handle it. That's what I feel like. He's given us something that I know we can handle as a family."
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