Boy With Autism's Birthday Brightened By Twins Game
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Getting older can be hard for any kid. It's especially tough when you're different. It's why weeks before Nick St. Sauver's birthday, his mom asked for some help. St. Sauver has autism and has struggled with making friends.
But a Facebook post delivered St. Sauver's best birthday yet.
When you're a 12-year-old Twins Fan, there is no better place to spend a birthday that Target Field. For St. Sauver, there were even bigger plays Thursday than the four runs Rosario put on the scoreboard.
"Look Nick, that's you," Tammy St. Sauver, Nick's mom, said. "This happened because of someone on Facebook. 'Hey, let's put Nick's birthday on the scoreboard.'"
Two weeks ago, Tammy St. Sauver asked her Facebook friends if they'd be willing to send her son a little sunshine -- to cheer him up with a birthday card.
"He has autism and very high anxiety," Tammy St. Sauver said. "It makes the social parts of life very difficult for him. There's been a lot of, you know, 'I don't like myself, I'm dumb, I'm stupid,' which is very hard for a mother to hear."
A pile of cards have been delivered so far, helping to lift a family.
"This is from a friend named Alex who wants to play legos with Nick," Tammy St. Sauver said.
A stack from dozens of people who wanted to let him know he matters, including some from strangers.
"You don't know me but I hope to meet you someday," Tammy St. Sauver reads from one of the cards.
Even the Minnesota Twins wanted to do more. The team provided bats, hats, bobble heads and jerseys to Nick St. Sauver, his friends and family at the game.
"We've got wonderful fans and I'm in a position to help them quite a bit and it's very rewarding to me personally to be able to do that for them," said Patrick Forsland, the director of guest service for the Twins.
It's given a boy and his parents new hope for a new year.
"It's a beautiful day, and I'm sure we'll remember it forever," Tammy St. Sauver said.
Her son's birthday got even better when he got home from the game. Nick St. Sauver got another 10 birthday cards in the mail.
The Twins make special accommodations for people with autism to enjoy a game, providing headphones and seat suggestions to improve the game experience.