The Game of My Life: A True Story

The Game of My Life: A True Story Of Challenge, Triumph, and Growing Up Autistic
By Jason J-Mac McElwain, Daniel Paisner

Jason McElwain shot a final three-pointer to rack up a school record of six three-point baskets and 20 total points in the last three minutes of the final game in his senior year. But, the most incredible part of the story is that J-Mac, as he’s affectionately known, performed this incredible feat in spite of the fact he was diagnosed with severe autism at a very young age. Thanks to early detection and increasingly sophisticated behavioral interventions, and parents who go the extra mile, life can hold more promise for children like Jason.

J-Mac replays the magic four minutes against the backdrop of his life as he sees it, along with Daniel Paiser, New York Times best selling author, in The Game of My Life: A True Story of Challenge, Triumph, and Growing Up Autistic. Jason’s mom and dad, brother, coach, basketball players and friends share their minds and hearts in anecdotes. Because Jason tells most of the story himself, brings a poignancy to it that readers will enjoy.

ESPN gives us glimpse of Jason’s life and those last momentous four minutes when Coach Jimmy Johnson said, “Jason, you’re in.”

Here are a few snippets to give you pieces of the fascinating kaleidoscope you’ll find in The Game of My Life …

Jason: “I still had my dream of playing basketball on the high school team and winning a sectional title. I don’t know were that dream came from, or when I started talking about it, but it was always there, for as long as I can remember. I told myself the coach could cut me from the team, but he couldn’t cut me from my dream.”

David McElwain, Father: “My thing was, at the beginning of a new season, with a new coach, I never wanted to tell anyone he was autistic. I wanted Jason to make his own first impression. My wife, that’d be the first thing she’d do. She’d call the coach right away and talk to him about autism, but I didn’t want Jason to be treated differently. I didn’t want the coach to be afraid to put him into the game. He could play just like any other kid could play, but he was also autistic.”

Debbie McElwain, Mother: “You can’t imagine what it’s like, to be the mother of a child who was diagnosed as severely autistic as a toddler, to struggle with him the whole way through all his doctors’ appointments and his special-education classes and his autistic outbursts and all the other things that had to happen differently for him, to see the disappointment on his face as he watched the other kids do the things he couldn’t do, and then to have this one great moment where we could all just close our eyes and think he was like everyone else. Really, you can’t imagine it. I wanted to jump from my seat and run down to the court and hug Coach Johnson and the other coaches and the other boys on the team and everyone in that gym, really, for helping Jason to experience something like this.”

Jim Johnson, Coach: “The first time Jason shot the ball, coming off that screen, he missed so badly. It wasn’t like him, to miss so badly. He missed about six feet, left…

My heart sank for Jason, but he was fearless. He came out gunning. This was one of those times where the autism helped. It’s weird to say this, but he was so completely focused on scoring that nothing else seemed to bother him. He was in such a zone. That’s just how he is. Typically, when you put a kid in the game like that and he shoots an air ball, he’s very apprehensive to shoot again, from embarrassment. But Jason doesn’t get embarrassed. This just rolled off his back.”

Jason, learned to walk late, but by mimicking his brother, Josh, and literally following in his footsteps Jason was soon on his way. Because Josh loved basketball, so did Jason and he pushed himself to learn. He made shots over and over in his driveway court playing knockout or H-O-R-S-E with Josh. Every Christmas his mom bought him a new basketball and say it was from Josh. His love for basketball was obsessive as he focused so much time and attention to it.

Though he struggled to learn words and talk as a child, and though he has not yet been able to graduate from high school as most of his friends, Jason wrote his own rap lyrics that express the essence of his story in this must read book…

Never give up, never give in.

Be motivated in everything you do,

If you want to catch a dream.

The sky’s the limit.

Give all that you can,

If you want to catch a dream.

Jason built dendrite brain cells for new skills he practiced daily. He tapped these to achieve an incredible triumph in the last four minutes of the final game! What’s stopping you from reaching your goals?

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Post Author Dr. Robyn McMaster is Sr. VP of the MITA International Brain Based Center. She equips leaders with practical brain based tactics that optimize satisfaction and output at work. Check out her blog, Brain Based Biz to see how you can tap into more of your brain to ratchet up your life and work.

Comments

[Robyn]

Rosa, thanks for the opportunity to share this amazing book with your readers.

Thanks as well for posting for me!

It's and honor to join you and the other authors for A Love Affair With Books!

[dave]

That clip from ESPN was one of the most touching things that I've ever seen on TV. I think there is something inside everyone of us that pulls and cheers for those who put forth effort. We crave for them to succeed.

[Joanna Young]

What an inspiring story Robyn.

I love this line:

"I told myself the coach could cut me from the team, but he couldn’t cut me from my dream."

This book's going on my list!

Joanna

[Pam]

Wow, I have goosebumps. Thank you, Robyn for providing us with this wonderful reminder that anything is possible; the sky's the limit if we believe and follow our dreams. :)

[Robyn]

Dave, the clip was so inspiring that it ran for two nights on some major media news networks. That is an extreme rarity.

Thanks for your comment, Dave.

[Robyn]

Joanna, this book truly inspired me with Jason's amazing tenacity. There's a wonderful section in which he describes how he actually writes and goes back to select just the right word. That, too, is truly inspiring.

You'll really enjoy reading this book.

I appreciate your comment!

[Robyn]

Yes, Pam, the sky's the limit. And, it depends on whether we truly stick to our goals in life.

Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.

[Karen Wallace]

Robyn,
Thank you so much for sharing this book with us. It sounds like a definite winner - a true goosebump-inspiring story, a few eye-filling moments - it's on my list now too.

[David Zinger]

Robyn:

I also loved the line: I told myself the coach could cut me from the team, but he couldn’t cut me from my dream

All 3 of my teenage chilren volunteer/work with autistic children. What my children have learned from the children they work with will always be with them.

David