INDIANAPOLIS — What started as a way for an Indianapolis boy to raise awareness for his brother has grown into a film.
Tyrell Smith's twin brother, Tyrese, was diagnosed with autism a few years ago. Tyrell had questions but also wanted to show support for his brother.
"He walked around with a notebook for a couple of months, and he would write and he would stop ... eventually he just came and said 'I'm done,'" mom Latasha Walker said.
Tyrell, at age 7, became the author of "Yes We are Twins, but We are Different."
"I reached out to someone that's really big in the literacy world in Indianapolis ... and she looked at it and she said he had something," Walker said.
Delores Thornton, or "Grandma's Cookie" as the boys lovingly call her, took on the project and turned Tyrell's big idea into a reality.
"I just knew that it would be a welcome thing for the community, especially the African American community, because a lot of times our symptoms and our diagnosis aren't, as you know, aren't readily explained like other populations," Thornton said. "So to bring this to the public to aid parents and others that deal with autism, it blew me away. It blew me away."
Now, the book is being turned into a movie that Tyrell and Tyrese star in as themselves.
The movie will be shown at the Three Fountains Clubhouse, located at 4620 Genoa Ct.
Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. For more information or to buy tickets, email tyrellntyrese317@gmail.com or call 317-652-3685.
-
Students, staff at Indy school beg for 4-way stop after student gets hit by car
Students and staff at Circle City High School are begging for a four-way stop to be installed after video shows a student was hit by a car on Tuesday.Lafayette police located missing 11-year-old girl
An 11-year-old girl who was reported missing in Lafayette has been located safely, according to the Lafayette Police Department.6 of Ten Point Coalition's patrol areas have not recorded a murder this year
The Ten-Point Coalition hopes to stop violence in Indianapolis by walking the streets at night where crime might happen, and officials say the plan is showing results.More schools across the state of Indiana are meeting literacy requirements
In total, 285 schools showed that that 95% of their students are reading proficiently. That is an increase of more than 40 schools from the prior year.