The Amazin' Austin

PALMER — Not a lot of kids get to bring a superhero to show and tell. Austin Ervin brought two: Spiderman and himself.

Austin, a 7-year-old second-grader at Swanson Elementary School in Palmer, was never supposed to survive a devastating 2013 auto accident on Bogard Road.

“The phone call I got was that Austin’s dead,” recalled his mother, Tina Ervin. “It was a phone call no parent should get.”

Austin wasn’t dead, but he was about as close as someone can come. He’d suffered an atlanto-occipital dislocation, a gruesome injury that’s also known as an “internal decapitation.” It’s what happens when someone’s skull separates from their spine, such as what happens to hanging victims. Surviving such an injury is so rare that a Wikipedia page about the injury includes a list of notable known survivors.

Doctors performed emergency surgery to save his life, and after months of rehab and more surgeries, his condition stabilized. However, he can’t move his arms or legs and must breathe with the help of a ventilator.

Despite circumstances that would cause most to give up, Austin is bound and determined not to let those limitations get him down.

“He’s a rock star,” his mother said.

With the help of several local businesses and individuals, Tina Ervin recently presented her little rock star with a unique gift, a new custom-made “Spidey Bus” she bought and had painted in red and black with custom graphics depicting the web-slinging hero. And on Friday afternoon, Austin arrived at school to show off his tricked-out new ride to dozens of his wide-eyed classmates.

They were more than impressed.

“Whoa, cool!” they shouted in near unison while checking out the LED light system that illuminates the underside of the bus in flashing colors.

Austin beamed with pride from his motorized wheelchair and eagerly invited his friends to tour his new toy.

“Go inside,” he urged them.

There, the students got another surprise when Spidey himself (with local teen Maddy Shotenski filling in for Peter Parker) gave them the grand tour of the bus’ interior, which includes a flat-screen television and room to accommodate Austin’s chair, all his medical equipment, his nurse and up to 10 passengers.

As his fellow second-graders checked out Austin’s ride, he waited outside and smiled a satisfied grin. Later, his friend Corbin Gerkin said it’s Austin’s nature to share with his classmates.

“He’s a really good friend and he has a really big heart,” Gerkin said.

Austin’s friends said his physical limitations don’t make them look at him any differently. Instead, they like him because of his quick smile and sense of humor.

“He’s just a good kid,” Gerkin said.

Aside from his physical issues, Austin’s pretty much like any other 7-year-old. He loves his iPod, is a huge Minecraft fan and sometimes bristles at brushing his teeth. And he’s got a mischievous side, too. When his friends gathered around for a group photo with the van and Spiderman, someone asked Austin what they should say instead of “cheese.” He just stuck out his tongue, drawing a round of laughter from the entire class.

Teacher Asdis Derouen said having Austin in her class has been a joy.

“He’s funny, he’s charming,” she said. “He’s got a great sense of humor and loves to be around his friends.”

Austin went to school part time last year, but Tina Ervin — who actually attended the elementary school when she was a kid — said he’s now in the process of transitioning to a full schedule at Swanson. The school has accommodated her son at every turn, she said, from installing a special swing set that can hold his chair to supplying him with special assistive technology devices that allow him to take tests and ask to be called on in class without having to raise his hand.

Kim Flinn is a teacher with the Mat-Su Borough School District’s homebound program, which works with students who can’t travel to school. She’s helping with Austin’s transition to full-time classes at Swanson, and said he’s well on his way to having a productive school year there.

“He just wants to be like every other kid,” she said.

Almost on cue, Austin zoomed by on his wheelchair — which he controls with his mouth — zigzagging down the hallways with reckless abandon, his wide grin and bright eyes darting to and fro.

The new and improved bus will help him do that. Tina Ervin said the bus will allow Austin to travel places with his friends and family, rather than being cooped up in a small mini van.

“We still do everything, we just do it in a different way,” she said.

That’s why she bought the van for her son, and why more than a dozen businesses and individuals donated time and effort to make it as comfortable as possible. Ervin singled out Alaska LED Industries, which did much of the customization work, as being a huge help. She said Alaska LED’s Chris Eason — who also uses a wheelchair — was a driving force behind creating the final product.

“People donated a lot of time and effort to this,” she said.

The new van should help Austin feel more like a regular kid — even if his mother thinks he’s much more than that.

“He’s my angel,” she said.

Teacher Kim Flinn said Austin’s determined spirit and bright attitude are what sets him apart, and she thinks the youngster will continue to amaze as he grows older.

“He’ll do anything he wants to do.”

Contact Frontiersman editor Matt Tunseth at 352-2268 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com