KALISPELL – April is Autism AwarenessMonth, which was created in an effort to raise awareness and funding for those diagnosed with autism.
Kalispell comic book author, Glenn Ackom, was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in high school and hopes to inspire others and de-stigmatize disabilities.
When Ackom was in his twenties his father died of a sudden heart attack. A few years ago Ackom’s wife of 11 years, who suffered from severe disabilities, also passed away.
Ackom had a child with his former wife, but Child Protective Services determined Ackom was not a fit parent and placed his son into state care.
Writing has been a form of healing for Ackom. He used all of these setbacks to create his comic book, “Billy Younger”.
He tells MTN that the book’s heroes are inspired by himself and his former wife.
Ackom just returned from Comic-Con where he pitched his book to publishers. Ackom had to sell several beloved comic books to afford his trip to Comic-Con.
Billy Younger sparked interest, but Ackom says he wants his book to inspire others.
“I want to make a change in the world, how people look at people who have autism and other disabilities. You know, they can achieve anything they want. It doesn’t matter what they have if they really want it,” says Ackom.
Ackom is hoping to get his comic book published within the year.
Reporting by Maren Siu for MTN News
