Meet Mitch Bonar

By Paul Hathcoat

Have you ever met someone who is so obviously different in all of the right ways that you are simultaneously nervous to be around them but also feel compelled to stay in their proximity and learn more about what makes them, well, them? We have all experienced this phenomenon, which may or may not have a name but can be felt and distinguished from other events and people in our lives. In the context of this article, I call it “Meeting Mitch.” Let’s get to know this young man in order to uncover why meeting him was such an eye-opening experience for me, just as it has been for so many others.

Mitch Bonar is currently a 24-year-old college senior attending Indiana Wesleyan University, pursuing a degree in community development, with a focus on global ministry. That is impressive in itself, even before we get to know the struggles and challenges that Mitch has overcome to get to where he is today. His story begins like so many others in the disability community, with a series of diagnoses that point toward a lifetime of challenges and setbacks aimed at derailing what could be an exemplary and choice-based existence.

Mitch was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a young child and found everyday tasks such as tying his shoes, walking with balance, and anything to do with eye-hand coordination a real test. Mitch saw a speech therapist early in his school years to address the speech and hearing issues that made it difficult for him to learn and interact with the world. At 16, Mitch was diagnosed with mitochondrial dysfunction, which is characterized by symptoms such as muscle weakness, vision/hearing problems, learning disabilities, delays in development, and often, a lack of energy at a cellular level, which puts him at risk for muscle and heart ailments as well. Top that off with a diagnosis of autism at the age of 18 and Mitch had every right to be a lifelong victim of his conditions. But Mitch had different plans for his impact on the world and God’s Kingdom.

Despite his disabilities, Mitch has not only survived but thrived, and impacted his community. In school, Mitch, like many students who are different from the mainstream, struggled. He struggled to fit in, he struggled to fend off bullies, and he struggled to find extracurricular activities that matched his desires and talents and connected him to his peers. Thankfully, Noblesville High School and local churches and organizations had options for Mitch. He became involved in unified sports, played basketball in the Special Olympics, joined a sports league at White River Christian Church, and began to develop a sense of belonging and community. Mitch says that through these sports competitions and relationships he was able to show others that “I’m like you and you’re like me.”

In these high school and early college years, Mitch developed his leadership and public speaking skills as an advocate for inclusion and Christ-centered mindsets. He was asked to speak at his high school graduation ceremony and chose to use that opportunity to relay the importance of inclusion and accepting people for who they are, no matter their perceived differences. After that speech, one of Mitch’s former bullies messaged him and said “Mitch, I want to tell you how proud I am of you. I am so thankful that you are in my life and everyone can see who you really are.” Mitch got the chance to take his inclusion message on the road and serve as the Grand Marshall of the 2018 Indy 500. Mitch said, “honestly, I think sharing my story was the best part of the whole day.” In 2019, Mitch was asked to attend the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and represent team America as one of two athlete representatives on the board of directors. Mitch focused that service time on “relaying the importance of inclusion and what that could lead to in each community.” He told me that his goal was to “make real connections with people – both teammates and competitive adversaries – to impact their lives and help convince them to use this experience to impact others in their own communities.”

Spending just a little bit of time with Mitch is impactful. Yes, he is a normal young adult and college student in many ways. He likes serving as manager of the IWU football team, playing video games, and sleeping in late. But Mitch has a drive and a passion when engaged that makes an impression and influences you to want to be a better person.

Mitch has been helped along the way, like most of us, by the good friends and family around him. Mitch’s dad, Doug, and mom, Kelly, have instilled in him a genuine sense of self-worth and acceptance that Mitch says is best characterized by their continued message to him that “you are a gift to all of us in the family.” Mitch has two sisters, Victoria and Bethany, who have both learned how to support and be a part of Mitch’s life and aspirations. They all find solace in retreating to a lake house in Northern Indiana each year and eating their dad’s homegrown hot sauce that is reported to be so hot that his mom, Kelly, thinks “none of them have any taste buds.” This family, together, has built a life for Mitch that many young people living with disabilities do not get the chance to experience.

Meeting Mitch is an experience. Hearing his story is astounding. Seeing and feeling his passion for his family, his friends, his goals to impact the world, and mostly his passion to be a Christian is humbling. Mitch stands as a success story in the disability world. Not because of all of his accomplishments and fancy opportunities, but because of the message he brings and delivers through them. Mitch wants everyone to have a chance to experience the love of Christ and live the life that they choose. As a country and looking more closely into each of our communities, we still have a long road ahead of us before people of all abilities are truly seen and valued according to the strength of their virtues and the content of their character. Let Mitch’s story be an example of just that. I thank you, Bonar family, for allowing all of our readers to “Meet Mitch!”

Save the Date!

Wine & Wags Thursday, October 7, 2021 5:30 to 8 pm

The Biltwell Event Center Indianapolis

ICAN’s largest fundraising event, Wine & Wags, is an after-work program filled with testimonies from clients, handlers in prison, released handlers, and the powerful impact our service dogs make on people’s lives. There is no cost to attend, but you must pre-register. To learn more, contact brynnee@icandog.org.

Interested in hosting a table of eight or becoming a sponsor? Contact dino@icandog.org