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SALT LAKE CITY — There’s a new tattoo resting on the underside of Joe Ingles’ wrist. It’s a puzzle piece — the primary symbols for autism. He got it because of the name tattooed on his other wrist — and also for the other thousands of children who have the same diagnosis.
When the Jazz forward signed his $52-million contract in the summer of 2017, he made it clear he wanted to use his newfound riches to benefit the lives of others.
“Nobody in the world needs that much money,” Ingles told the Sydney Daily Telegraph in the weeks after he signed. “So we’ll spend a lot of time helping out kids and families that need the help."
It was that desire — not a search for sympathy or empathy or anything else — that led Ingles and his wife, Renae, to publicly announce that their 2-year-old son, Jacob, had been diagnosed with autism.
“For years, we have been trying to work out what to do,” Ingles said. “We did some bits and pieces here that you guys have heard about and not heard about. This has given us such a clear direction.”
Last week, in an open letter written for Australian media site Exclusive Insight, the Ingles described the process of finding out and dealing with Jacob’s diagnosis. They talked about the early signs — the lack of communication, social isolation, sleeps disturbances and light sensitivity — and their emotions dealing with seemingly endless assessments and therapy sessions.
It was a long and often difficult four-month process. And one that means there will be other hard days down the road. But they are hoping that their story can help other families.
The Ingles are hoping that by telling their story, other parents, who notice similarities in their own kids, will be motivated to get their children checked. The Ingles feel grateful, lucky even, that they were able to find out about the diagnosis when Jacob was so young.
“The earlier you find out, the more you can get on top of it," Ingles said. "And set him up to have the best life that he can have. ... I knew what autism was, but didn’t really know what it was. I didn’t look into it that deep."
Ingles knows now — and now he's trying to educate everyone else.
The Ingles have a large platform. With Joe as a member of the Jazz and Renae as a world-class netball player, it allows their message to reach far and wide. But they aren't content with just growing awareness.
The Ingles don't have to worry much about the cost of care for his son. Other people, though, aren’t so lucky.
“Jacob is going to get about 30 hours of week of therapy — anywhere from $60,000-$80,000 a year,” Joe Ingles said. “We are very lucky — not only what I make salary wise, but the insurance that we get — but for a regular family, regular job, mom and dad working or one parent working, it’s (a lot) of money.
“We want to try and raise awareness and do some fundraising for families that can't afford the treatment that we are lucky to get.”
Ingles is human. There’s no question that his family life affected him on the basketball court. There were days during the diagnostic process when he didn’t want to be at practice or when his mind wasn't completely on the team. But the Jazz had no problem with that, either. His coaches, his teammates and everyone else in the organization understood — or at least tried to.
“There’s a perspective that we all need to have in this game,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “Anytime family is involved and close friends, it gives you perspective. Sometimes you have to rediscover what’s really important and we all need to be reminded of that. Joe definitely doesn’t need to be, but I know how much support and affection that the group has for him and Ranae and Jacob.”
