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MILLER: our next guest has been in the wrestling ring professionally for about the last eighteen years
MCQUADE: and today wise guy jimmy cicero is here to tell us how
he's actually taken on the job of putting the body slam to autism. great to see you, wiseguy
CICERO: thank you, thank you MCQUADE: thanks for coming in
autism is very close to your heart tell us about it
CICERO: it is it is my three-year-old was diagnosed with autism
-- almost a year ago
and my one-year-old son was diagnosed last week
my wife and I have two youngsters that are both autistic
and it's quite a challenge for us MILLER: it's a life changing diagnosis
how has your family adapted to this CICERO: well we'd
worked closely with the doctors
and --
we recently
enrolled nicholas our three-year-old in the head start program
and -- I can't say enough about it it's been wonderful he's been learning sign language
social interaction
and --
slowly but surely
he's getting some words out
so it's a
it's it's
it takes a lot of patience a lot of love
a lot of understanding
more patience and more love
MCQUADE: tell us your job as a professional wrestler is getting the message out to
the folks that really do love wrestling
CICERO: well you know it's it's funny
there's a lot of different functions that people utilize four
for --
fund raisers and such
golfing and and walks and everything
professional wrestling you don't really hear a lot about that that's
my deal
I've been a pro wrestler for eighteen years
and I have a built-in audience
and this is my way I can reach out to my audience each and every show
and let them know what my story is and how they can help
MILLER: now I read that you actually came out of retirement
to get back in the wrestling to bring attention to autism so what'd you have to do to get back in shape
ALL: >laughter<
CICERO: I'm still getting back in shape my wife kicks my butt out the door every morning
and says "get to the gym get on a treadmill"
and I've been doing it I'm doing it I tell you when I came back about a year ago
three four minutes into the match I was gasping for air but I'm doing much better now
and I I plan to just keep on rolling I'm going to get the message out and
and you know God bless the fans the promoters
and my fellow pro wrestlers are going to help me to bodyslam autism
MCQUADE: what is it like to have the two kids
out to watch you as a professional wrestler CICERO: it's it's wonderful
it really is when they're sitting there in the audience that
Anthony is one year old just is more interested in
eating his cheese crackers but nicholas he sits there and he really enjoys it he puts his hand up
and watches his dad and then he comes home and he tries all the moves on me
ALL: >laughter< CICERO: so it's quite special it really is it really is
MILLER: so what's the learning curve been like for you and your wife did you know anything about
autism before you had a personal diagnosis CICERO: didn't know a thing about it I had heard
of the -- heard the word autism
but I didn't know what was I didn't know if it's a developmental disorder
it affects the speech
it affects social interaction
I didn't know that
and my wife and I had to from from ground zero had to really learn
as much -- we're still learning you know every day is a new
a new challenge and like I said we're working closely with the
teachers in the head start program and our own doctors
and as well learn as much as we can about
MILLER: and with this diagnosis I realize that everybody seems to talking about autism
these days it used to be kind of a
hidden diagnosis or -- or illness and now more and more people are being diagnosed
with it and more and more people are talking about it CICERO: and you're exactly right
I believe the Autism Speaks gave a recent
number - one in ninety eight children
are diagnosed with autism
and that's just it's
like I said - it's more and more prevalent
MCQUADE: what kind of reception in getting -- from the people who do approach you -- that might
have a son or a daughter with autism
-- and they're at some of your shows
CICERO: it's been a hundred percent positive from all the fans -- from the fans
who have children or have loved ones that are autistic to the ones that don't -- it's --
pro wrestling has has had a bad stigma
and i'll tell you what
-- I'm here to say that the fans the promoters and my fellow pro wrestlers
-- 100 percent -- they've just been wonderful
as far as the folks who have autistic children then --
I've given them my card I've given them my personal information and said
listen you're not just a fan you're a friend of mine
reach out to me talk to me MCQUADE: have they?
CICERO: they have they absolutely have -- my wife Windra and I we have --
increased our -- our
number of friends by tenfold
in the last year so --
you know it's it's a lot of
a lot of tough things and tough challenges but what a lot of good has come of this
MILLER: and you're wrestling with a purpose CICERO: now I absolutely am absolutely
I want to present both of you all with a shirt
MILLER: absolutely MCQUADE: Wise Guy
MILLER/MCQUADE: >voices overlap while accepting shirts<
MCQUADE: oh yeah we'll wear them proudly
CICERO: the back says Help Wiseguy Bodyslam Autism and --
that's the mission my wife and I have -- everywhere from Florida
to New York City --
every town that I go in
the mission is to bodyslam autism and --
I just I can't thank
the fans enough
the promoters and like I said my fellow wrestlers
MCQUADE: I wouldn't want to mess with you, that's for sure - you might be just getting into shape
we welcome you back to the ring now -- we have some information
Wiseguy plans to bodyslam autism
this Saturday during the N-W-A Continental Heavyweight title match
in Mattaponi
against champion Big Time Mike Booth -- you can take him -- Wiseguy contending
for the title -- for all the information you need visit wtvr.com/vtm