Our story was cancer - we lost our oldest child and only daughter Cory Katherine to occular melanoma in 2001. We also had a 12 year old (Zach) and a baby at the time, (Landry) who was only 7 months old when she died. After a few years, we thought it would be nice if they had a little brother, so we welcomed Jackson Thomas into our lives. When Jackson was 18 months old, we discovered he had Autism. I can tell you with all honesty that cancer just sucks. At least with Autism, a parent and a child can have a fighting chance. So our attitude about Autism has been more like "Bring it on!"
Now our story is Autism. It has defined us and affected every aspect of our lives. Raising a child with Autism is like running a marathon everyday. Parents of Autistic children are on duty 24/7 because their children’s behavioral issues make it difficult for anyone else to care for them. Desperate, sleep-deprived parents search for help from doctors and agencies who often don’t have the time or the training to adequately address the issues. What these parents want is a roadmap – a plan of action so that they can help their children.
It is not an easy task to treat Autism. It takes a multi-multi-multi-faceted approach and includes many types of therapy and special diets, among other things. Our projects will center on helping parents cope and getting children the healthcare and therapy they need. Our projects will teach parents how to heal their children as much as they can with good nutrition, then fill in the gaps with behavioral therapy. Our projects will provide quality of life. Our projects will also encourage dialogue. Our doctors and educators need to communicate more effectively and quit treating Autism as merely a behavioral issue. Autism needs to be recognized as the healthcare issue it really is.
Oh, and one more thing: JACKSON AND HIS BROTHER LANDRY ROCK!!!!!!
Click the VOTE button to give Susan 100 Crowdrise Impact Points (CIPs). Vote for the Volunteers and Fundraisers that are answering the call to service, raising money for charity, and making an impact for their causes.Or do what I do and vote strictly based on height. Come back and Vote every month. CIPs can be redeemed for Crowdrise Rewards and can earn you the highly coveted, highly respected Crowdrise Royalty Status.
If you're seeing the grey VOTE button, you should feel great about yourself. It means you already voted for Susan this month. Come back next month and vote again if you still love Susan. Thanks to your vote, Susan earned 100 Crowdrise Impact Points (CIPs). CIPs can be redeemed for Crowdrise Rewards and can earn you the highly coveted, highly respected Crowdrise Royalty Status.
To leave a comment Login or Signup