Nicole Woods, a former professional boxer and current paramedic from Stone Mountain, GA has had her share of battles both inside and outside of the ring. However, none were able to prepare her for the adversity she would face when she had her son, Blake, who was unable to utter a single word until he was 4.5 years old.
Blake, who is now seven, has autism. At first glance, most might not be able to tell. He’s charming, sociable, and he’s also an extremely ambitious entrepreneur who has his own clothing line, BLEU. Yet, due to bullying from his peers a few years ago, Nicole and Blake’s father decided it was best for him to be homeschooled to protect his confidence, and to provide him with the attention he needs. The process has been far from easy, and has come with a great deal of sacrifice.
“Initially it was really, really hard. I did a lot of crying and praying,” Nicole said. “Autism comes in different forms. He started out not being able to talk at all, but through hard work his speech got better to the point some people don’t believe he is autistic. That creates problems because when he acts a certain way, or has a little episode, people start passing judgment. They don’t realize there’s a spectrum.”
Each day, Nicole and Blake wake up in the morning to do school work and to practice his speech at home. Afterwards, he is dropped off at Moonrise, a structured community space for homeschooled children where they are able to learn and socialize with others. Unless Blake is playing a sport, which Nicole typically volunteers as a coach, he is building 5,000 piece LEGO sets at home, or working on his clothing brand, BLEU by Blake Landon. In the midst of all of that, Nicole finds time to work. She is often exhausted physically and mentally.
BLEU stands for Build Love Embrace Uniqueness. It encourages people to celebrate the differences that people have. Nicole works with Blake on a daily basis, to build the brand. She often marvels at his creativity and the progress he has made, not only with his speaking, but how he fearlessly navigates each day despite the obstacles he has faced.
“He wanted to be a YouTube star back then at four years old, but he couldn’t speak yet,” she said. “One time he wanted some money, so he drew some pictures that he wanted to sell and sent them to my family members. Everyone bought a picture and he got the money. From that point on, he was sold on being a young businessman.”
It would take two and a half more years until Blake would experience a breakthrough. Due to the support from his parents and a speech therapist, he was finally able to utter his first words. Fast-forward to today, and Blake can be found with his apparel engaging patrons at major conferences and events, as well as sharing inspirational messages on social media and speaking at schools. He excels especially when interacting with adults. In the summer of 2022, he won the award for most books read by a kid in Fulton County.
There is still a long uphill battle ahead, but Nicole’s goal is to equip Blake to one day live on his own.
“This has required a lot of strength and patience, and much of that I had to learn from Blake. We have pushed and we have cried,” Nicole said. “The end goal is for him to live on his own. He says he wants a family and to have kids when he grows up. I want that for him.”
Nicole and Blake plan to continue advocating for autism awareness, as well as other developmental disabilities. Although Blake’s level of autism is considered high functioning, it ranges across the spectrum, and Nicole hopes that people will learn to be more aware before passing judgment.
“I want people to be kind when they see a kid going through something, and not be so judgmental,” she said. “I’ve gotten the nasty looks, the comments, and I know others deal with it every day because people don’t understand.”
“I want people to change their perspective on what they see because when you see a kid passing out on the floor or screaming and crying, I can guarantee you that mother is doing the best she can with what she has. Most times she is going through just as much stress as the kid and there is nothing she can do about it. Ask the mother if she is ok. If she needs some help.”
For more information and to keep up with Nicole Woods and Blake, follow them on Instagram here or by visiting the website at https://bleubyblakelandon.shop.
