January 16, 1991 - February 25, 2005
Naples, Florida
A mother remembers a son she recently lost
What can I say about Austin except this...
In his short 14 years he taught me more about love and loving than I think I would have learned in a lifetime without him. A gift, a treasure and a teacher — that was Austin. Suffering with grace and dignity always, smiling through pain, and moaning only when pain was intolerable. His was a pain of extraordinary circumstance: a broken bone, a dislocation, and unimaginable dystonia that traveled throughout his body, changing location from month-to-month. Yet through it all, Austin shared with us his most valuable gifts: He taught us that love means holding on, love means letting go, love means staying together through thick and thin...all communicated through the blink of an eye and a luminous smile.
I miss him so,
- Dianne Gray
Commissioners proclaim Austin Gray Day in Florida county
In memory of a youth in the community who had NBIA, the Board of Commissioners in Collier County, Florida, proclaimed July 6 as "Austin Gray Day."
To mark the day, the county's Parks and Recreation Department hosted a barbeque, water day, bounce house, memorial service and tree planting at Sugden Regional Park to honor Austin’s memory. Officials called Austin an inspiration to all, and specifically, the inspiration behind the Special Needs Recreation Program of Collier County.
His mother, Dianne Gray, a former member of the NBIA Disorders Association board, helped start the county’s summer camp for kids with special needs, which Austin attended. Dianne Gray also spearheaded other special needs activities in the county.
