Boy with autism 'glowing,' mom says, as hundreds celebrate un-birthday party in Brantford, Ont.

Hundreds of kids and adults, who for various reasons — including the COVID-19 pandemic — have not been able to celebrate a birthday, were treated to an "un-birthday" party in Brantford, Ont. this weekend. 

Heather Atkinson took her son Kellen, 10, and her daughter Kynzie, nine. Kellen is autistic and non-verbal, while Kynzie has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

"The smile on [Kellen's] face from the time … he saw the bus and realized we're going somewhere fun — all day he was glowing," Atkinson told CBC Hamilton Sunday, after the Saturday event. 

"He was having so much fun. He's happy usually just to kind of sit on the outside and watch life go on, watch other kids having fun and playing, but yesterday he wanted to get up and walk around and go and see all the characters." 

The day featured games, crafts, rides and entertainment such as costumed characters interacting with those who attended.

Atkinson says Kellen "fell in love with the vampire character" at the party and was following him around a lot.

She said Kellen also enjoyed "being on the train and participating in different events, playing on the parachute, colouring, just getting involved in everything."

"Normally he kind of hides in the background and watches everybody else have fun, but he didn't stop smiling the entire day," she added.

Meanwhile, Atkinson said she did not see much of Kynzie, whom she describes as "a busy little lady," throughout the day. "She took off with friends and that was the end of it." 

According to Atkinson, the un-birthday party gave those in attendance the opportunity to "be their authentic selves and not have to worry about judgment." 

"Being in a place where they can just be kids and have fun is so critically important and doesn't always happen for them because they're that little bit different [and] they know they're different," she said.

In 2018, Nicole Callander organized an un-birthday party as a celebration for her daughter, Kaitlin, who has Williams syndrome, a genetic condition which can result in medical issues and social challenges, according to the Canadian Association For Williams Syndrome.

Kaitlin was turning 18 and had no friends, Callander told CBC Hamilton. Her mother opened up their party to kids and adults from all over Ontario who don't otherwise get invited to parties. 

Based on the overwhelming response, Callander founded Friends 4 Kindness, which has so far organized six un-birthday parties in different cities across Ontario in 2019, celebrating approximately 800 kids and adults.