Written by Rachel Hayden
Russell Quinn Hayden was born on August 13th, 1995, during a brutal heat wave. His loving parents and very excited big sister welcomed him to their home in Merrick New York with open arms. Little did they know, the hurtles, challenges, and blessings that awaited Russell and his family’s future. As time passed Russell’s mother noticed that he was not progressing as quickly as his sister did. He had very little to no language skills and difficulty with eye contact. With the help of their pediatrician and other professionals, Russell was diagnosed with Mental Retardation by the age of 5. And by 6 years old re-diagnosed with what we now all know to be Autism. Russell is now 27 years old; he is non-verbal, Autistic and has epilepsy. He uses a communication device called a Dynavox and it has a system called Proloquo that helps him relay his needs with us, his family, and friends. He is the most joyful man I have ever met. He can communicate and show affection to his loved ones through a smile, hug, or if you’re lucky a kiss on the cheek. “There is always sunshine in Russell’s world” his mom always says.
I conducted this interview with Russell after he came home from a long day at the day habilitation program he attends. He goes to the Head Injury Association program in Mineola NY. There he and his friends do daily activate to maintain and achieve goals. He is in a classroom setting and gets to do things such as Zumba for exercise, music therapy, tabletop activities such as puzzles, coloring, and board games, and energy healing. I knew I was going to have to entice him to sit with me after a long day. So, I sat at the dining room table with a few incentives. I brought food and a new book for after the interview. I began by asking him what his favorite food was and had a slice of pizza and a bagel with cream cheese waiting for his approval. With wide eyes he snatched up the slice of pizza. A man after my own heart! With his favorite food in hand, I asked him what his favorite color was, on his Dynavox his went to the page with all the colors and pressed green. “How old are you, Russ?” He maneuvered his way to the About Me page of his device as pressed 27 years old. “What activates do we do at home that you find fun?” I asked and pointed to the three pictures I placed on the table, one of arts and crafts, one of books, and the other of the dishwasher. Russ handed me the pictures of the books because he loves to read and the arts and crafts because he is happiest when he is busy. By now the slice of pizza was down to the crust so I knew I had to dive right in. “Do you enjoy going to your program with your friends?” He gave me a thumbs up and directed my attention to his device which had all the other participants in his group’s name up on the page, eager to show me his friends. Then I asked what his favorite activity at program was, he showed me the sticker on his t-shirt and pressed the icon that said, “energy with Beth”. Russell then got up from his chair and ran around with excitement, he was so proud of the sticker he earned.
During the summers, Russell has the privilege of attending Camp ANCHOR in Lido Beach NY. Although he was on a 10-year waiting list, a spot finally opened for him when he was 17 years old. He waits with bated breath each year for the spring and summer to come because he knows he gets to go have a fun filled summer on the beach with his peers. My next question for him was, are you excited for ANCHOR? His eyes lit up; I got a double thumbs up for that question. For these next set of questions, I printed photos of Russell doing activates at camp and asked which was his favorite. He handed me the photo of himself surfing and swimming in the ocean. I asked if he missed his friends from his day program while he was at camp, he quickly gave me a thumbs down. He then continued to pick up all the photos and show them to me one by one. The ANCHOR community, summer camp employees, and volunteers makes Russell along with all the other participants feel loved, welcomed, and at home it is his favorite place in the world to be.
After the fun of camp questions, I could tell he was getting restless with my badgering. I re-directed him to his other favorite past time, shopping. “Russ, what is your favorite store to shop at?” After some consideration, he pointed to the picture of Target that I had put on the table. We then exchanged those pictures for other ones that showed items found at Target and I asked, what do you like to buy there? He swiftly picked up pictures of books, snacks, and my personal favorite the dollar section.
Now I knew he needed a break, so we got up and I took him for a quick walk around the block. When we returned, I promised that I only had two more questions to ask and then he could be done with me for the night! I asked him if he was having fun chatting with me? Russ gave me a thumbs up and couldn’t wait for my last question. I concluded our interview by asking if he would ever help me with schoolwork again, he giggled, gave me a kiss on the forehead, and got up and walked upstairs. I took that as his kind way of telling me no way!
Russell has had many hardships throughout his life; he was a part of the first ever inclusion classroom that Nassau County ever had in a public school and because of him being non-verbal he has had to find alternate ways of communication to express himself and his needs. He became an epileptic and has been having petite and grand mal seizures for close to 12 years now. Russell has faced adversity at every corner and still smiles. It is his golden ticket, if we could all take a page from his book and appreciate the small things, we would all be a little happier. He is a magical inspiration to me every day and everyone he meets.
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