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April is autism awareness month

April is autism awareness month. I have mixed feeling about this.  On the one hand I think it is very good for everyone to be aware of how hard autism is.  It can be an awful sickness that causes so much heart break for individuals and families.  And 1 in 55 kids in America are on the autism spectrum.  85% of all couples with an autistic child will get divorced.  The stress is pretty awful.  But I think the general public becomes more compassionate and helpful as they are made more aware.  That is a good thing.  But my oldest daughter Jessica has autism.  Hearing all the stories and statistics causes me to think about this sickness.  And I get depressed.  I do not like looking at autism.  When I see Jessica, I see my daughter, not a disease.  I see her smile, her laugh, and not disease.  So for me, a month set aside to focus on the train that ran my baby down is awful.  I hate this sickness!  I do not want to focus on it.  It has caused me enough grief.  But I think it is good for you to know more about it.  And if you know families that
deal with this sickness…be kind and helpful.

Comments

Rick Moreno said…
Well said :)
4:42 PM
caring for the garden said…
Our love to Jess and to you and all those around you that love our girl as well.
4:48 PM
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