While he’s not faster than a speeding bullet or more powerful than a locomotive, Erin Boyle says her son is a superhero of sorts. “Kirk definitely has some superpowers,” Erin says. But unlike other comic book heroes, the eight-year-old’s Clark Kent style glasses are not concealing a secret identity. Kirk does not hide being on the autism spectrum, and his dynamic outfits are not super costumes. “He’ll pick his own clothes,” Erin points to Kyle’s rainbow hat, fluorescent shorts, and patterned shirt featuring images from The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine. “They’re usually vibrant, crazy, mismatched stuff.” Although if he does don a costume, Erin says he’ll likely dress like a dog, because despite being non-verbal, Kirk does seem to have the power to speak canine. “He’ll go out on the deck in the morning and be like, ‘Arf! Arf! Arf!’ Erin smiles. “And then he’ll get all the other dogs [in the neighbourhood] talking and it’s a big dog conversation between us and six other houses.” Perhaps he’s telling them a joke. Erin says one of Kirk’s greatest powers is spreading joy. “He’s always being silly and trying to make other people smile,” she says. Which is remarkable because our hero’s origin story is far from happy. “Everything was kind of great,” Erin recalls the hours following Kirk’s birth. “And then things kind of took a turn.” Kirk was born with a heart condition that required immediate surgery when he was two days old. “It’s the worst feeling,” Erin says before showing a post-surgery photo of her newborn with more than a dozen stitches keeping his chest closed. “I wouldn’t wish that on anybody ever.” But now, eight years later, Erin’s wish for her son to fully recover has finally came true. “He had an echocardiogram last week,” Erin says, smiling. “His heart is [now] perfect. It’s amazing.” So, Erin entered Kirk into the international Stan Lee Super Kid contest with the hope that people will vote for Kirk to win the top of prize, which includes being featured as a superhero in a real-life comic book. “His core memories revolve around the hospital and stuff,” Erin says. “So, giving him a good core memory that’s joyful and nothing but happiness and fun times would be amazing.” Because leaping tall buildings in a single bound may be impressive, but overcoming adversity by spreading countless smiles feels really super.
