Silent Running

Book excerpt: Running is a way of life for the Schneider family, but for them, it's about much more than fitness and competition. Silent Running: Our Family's Journey to the Finish Line with Autism is the story of how running saved their lives. At 21 months old, identical twin brothers Alex and Jamie were diagnosed with autism. It was 1992, a time when autism was far from a household word, before online autism forums and advocacy groups even existed. Robyn and her husband Allan were heartsick, but determined to find a cure for their sons, and thus their journey into the world of autism began. But soon it was clear that both Alex and Jamie had severe autism and would most likely not be cured. In Silent Running, Robyn Schneider takes readers on an intimate journey from a double diagnosis of autism, through many years of heartache, to a place of joy. Silent Running is a story of unrelenting love, of parents who never stop chasing after the silver lining, intent on finding happiness for their sons. And find happiness they do—in running. In Schneider's moving memoir, readers see Alex and Jamie transformed through running, their lives enriched. And eventually they reach a place where running, rather than autism, defines them. Along the journey, both Robyn and Allan face their own personal challenges. Allan begins running to help manage his symptoms of multiple sclerosis, and Robyn, while undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, laces up her own running shoes, determined to run her way to recovery—for her family and for herself. And she hasn't stopped. Despite their incredible daily challenges, Alex and Jamie have now run in almost 150 mainstream races, including nine marathons. And Robyn and Allan have been right there, either cheering for or running alongside their sons. In Silent Running, Robyn Schneider shares her family's remarkable story of triumph in the face of enormous hurdles, and the passion that has fueled their fight. It is an extraordinary and ins