Dude’s Day Out: Mountain High Edition |
MSCH-San Diego resident, Gary, and his father, Chris, celebrate
Dude’s Day Out at Mountain High Ski Resort – thanks to our CARE program. |
by Sheryl Wilde “Did you have eggs in school?” Chris Rudisill, father of Ash house resident, Gary, didn’t want an answer to his question. He had a story he wanted to tell. “I don’t mean eggs for eating,” he continued. “I had a Family Life class in high school where they used an egg to teach us how to take care of a child. I think many teenagers probably had to do this. “The teacher gave each student a soft egg, not hard-boiled, and we had to take care of it as if it was our child. If we went somewhere, we were supposed to get a babysitter. If we broke the egg, we had to write a ten-page report about why we were an irresponsible parent. “Once I got my egg, I had to draw a piece of paper out of a little bucket. The piece of paper I drew had two words written on it, “Cerebral Palsy”. So, my egg-child had cerebral palsy.
“I know it’s not politically correct now, but when we drew from the bucket, the piece of paper told us whether or not our child was quote, ‘normal’ or not. It was about 47 years ago. So it was a little bit of a different world.
“I didn’t break my egg, but I had to write a ten-page report anyway. I said to my teacher, ‘That’s not fair. I have to write a report, but I didn’t do anything wrong. The other kids don’t have to write a report.
“The teacher said, ‘Life’s not fair. Some parents have children that are born with cerebral palsy. That’s not fair, but that’s how it is.'” |
The lessons Chris learned in his high school Family Life class turned out to be prophetic. “My son, Gary, was born at 28 weeks. He had a Grade 4 brain bleed and ended up with cerebral palsy. “I thought to myself, ‘There’s something going on here. This isn’t just coincidence. God is doing something…” |
“Gary had 18 surgeries in the first two years of his life,” says Chris. “He was in the hospital for about three months before he came home.
“His mom was 20 years old. I was 22. We knew Gary had a lot of problems.
“When Gary came home from the hospital, we had to take him to 3 to 4 medical appointments each week. He came home with a ton of medications. We would have to feed him, and it would take him an hour and 15 minutes to eat each meal. He ate every two hours, so we had 45 minutes in between feedings. “We had this person we had to take of and it was, you know, more than other parents had to do. We had to be careful about everything. Trips to the hospital were a regular thing.
“But we didn’t know anything different. We kind of just grew up with it. And we grew up fast.” |
“Gary turned 40 in October of 2023,” adds Chris. “He is in a wheelchair. He can carry on basic conversations. Mentally, he is probably about 5 or 6 years old.
“Overall, Gary has probably had about 25 surgeries now. Two of those surgeries were done while he’s been living at Mountain Shadows.
“The staff members were wonderful. They saved his life because of their actions. After the last surgery, the neurosurgeon said Gary had only minutes left before he would have died. Thankfully, the staff was on the ball and noticed that Gary wasn’t acting right.” |
“When Gary moved to Mountain Shadows, my family made the decision he would never go a week without seeing us,” says Chris. “So, one of us picks him up every Saturday and takes him out.
“I do most of it – and we call it Dude’s Day Out. I actually have quite a following on Facebook, because my friends just love seeing the pictures I take for Dude’s Day Out.
“Mountain Shadows recently took residents skiing at Mountain High Resort. And for Gary and me, the ski trip was one of our favorites – Dude’s Day Out – Mountain High Edition!
“We have a lot of different Dude Days Out. We go out and drink beer – but it’s of the root variety. Gary loves root beer. We have annual passes to the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park.
“Gary just loves to go out. He loves doing anything – even running errands. He’s happy with that. He loves the Sprinter, the trains at Poway Park, Cold Stone ice cream, bowling – but the favorite, right now the biggest and best Dude’s Day Out, is that ski trip. He just loved that.” |
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Chris continues, “I’ve always been proud of my son, but I remember something that just threw me over the edge. When he was in 8th grade, Gary’s teacher said he was going to be in the choir. His mom and I were like, “Really?!?!” We had no idea he could sing.
“He ended up singing a solo! He sang so great. “It was like when you have a son and he catches a football, and you’re like, “Yeah!!! He caught a football!!!”
“Gary did great in everything he did. He always tried. But this was something different. And my chest just went out – and it was just – well, it still makes me cry now. I still remember it. He sang a song from The Song of the South, “Zippity Doodah”. “I think Gary would have gone far and done a lot of things had this brain bleed not happened to him.” |
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“And Gary still sings,” Chris continues. “Whenever we’re in the car, he’ll sing. We sing together. One of his favorites is a song by Mongo Jerry, “In the Summertime”. It’s a song we sing pretty much every time we’re in the car. There are certain points where we yell. We hit those spots exactly. He hits them all right on. Then we just kind of shout and cheer for each other.
“Music is big to him. He loves music. Sometimes we’ll take him places and we’ll see a band. He doesn’t even care what kind of music it is. He just wants to listen and clap. “They are small moments, but special.” |
“One thing that is really special about Gary,” adds Chris, “is that, for the most part, we’ve taught him to be kind. And he is. He cares about everybody else. He’s a really good kid. He’s been through so much in his life.
“Mountain Shadows literally saved Gary’s life twice. Both times, it had to do with the shunt in his head. For that, I am eternally grateful.
“The staff there, they work so hard. I sometimes feel sorry for them, because Gary can get a little out of control. But the staff is always really good with him. I can’t praise the staff enough for how hard they work with Gary.
“We’re so grateful to all the staff at Mountain Shadows. They are all wonderful and they put up with a lot. I think they deserve more money. They are very special people. I call them angels on earth. They really are.” |
“I learned from Gary to be thankful for what I have,” says Chris. “Every family has their issues and Gary’s are definitely unique. “People always say to me, “How can you do this?”
“Well, you just do it. It’s not that you can or can’t. It’s what you’ve been dealt. Everybody’s been dealt their own things. So just be thankful for what you have and make the most of it.” |
“Be thankful for what you have and make the most of it.” That is our belief – EGGS-actly!
Yes. We agree there’s something going on here. None of this is just coincidence. God is doing something… and it’s beautiful! |
The Mountain Shadows Foundation – Because We CARE |
Thanks to YOUR SUPPORT, the Mountain Shadows CARE program provides recreational and social experiences, like sit-skiing, to residents and participants adding meaning and richness to their lives.
It’s easy for you to help us continue to provide activities like this – activities that improve the quality of our residents’ lives in fulfillment of their dreams. Here are some ways you can help ensure these crucial activities can continue for years to come: -
Make a one-time donation today by clicking on the donate button below.
- Make a monthly or annual contribution.
- Leave a Legacy Gift.
To learn more about the Mountain Shadows Foundation Legacy Society, to include us in your estate plan, or to let us know if you have already designated Mountain Shadows to receive a legacy gift, please contact Mandy Huiras, Director of Development at: mhuiras@mtnshadows.org, or visit our website by clicking here:
Learn More About the Mountain Shadows Foundation Legacy Society
Please share this story with your family, friends and co-workers to help grow our Mountain Shadows Family! |
Mandy Huiras
Mountain Shadows Foundation Director of Development
Contact Mandy today to learn more about the Mountain Shadows Foundation and how you can continue to make a difference in the lives of our residents:
mhuiras@mtnshadows.org |
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