Hello Sam and Geketa
I kindly Thank you both for all of your kind words and for this opportunity to present this advocacy for autism to this community. Autism has been a pet project for me for about 3 years now and something very dear to my heart. So, I just can't Thank You enough for allowing me this opportunity to share with you, some of what I have learned about one of the saddest of human experiences.
To put this into perspective I would like to present a hypothetical situation that is actually the reality in the lives of many, many families around the world. Having five beautiful, healthy children of my own is perhaps the driving force behind my compassion for the cause of autism. I am just so thankful for the blessings bestowed upon me through my children that I want all families to be able to experience life with the same joy and happiness that I have had.
As many of you know, Ally and I have a new baby. Her name is Savannah Rose and she will be 1 year old on the 20th of this month. Right at the age where we have to face many decisions regarding her health and and happiness for the rest of her life.
Right now she is doing very well. She is a very happy baby who just loves to play and interact with people. She has been walking for about 2 months. She mimics nearly everything we do and is beginning to learn a few words. She understands much of what we say to her and reacts eagerly to our requests to bring us her sippy cup or prepare for a diaper change. She loves to dance and sing along with any music she hears. She chases after her sister and they take turns being the boss. In other words, Savannah is just the perfect, happy little baby and is simply a joy to have in our lives.
Now, I try to imagine how different our lives would be if suddenly, Savannah transformed into a totally different kind of baby. Here is the reality that autism imposes on the lives of so many families around the world.
Now imagine that Savannah has gotten a little older. Maybe 2. She is running around having fun all the time. Laughing and playing with friends and family. She is speaking in short sentences now and understands most everything you say to her. She responds to our emotions now too. She laughs when we laugh. She cries when we cry.
Then, one morning, upon waking her, we notice something different. She won't look at us and she isn't smiling like she usually does every morning. She doesn't seem to want to get out of bed. We ask her what is the matter but she doesn't respond to us at all. It is as if we aren't even in the same room. We finally get her up but she is very despondent. She won't eat her breakfast and begins to cry. Nothing can console her and she continues to cry. Then she tries to talk to us but her words seen unconnected, not in sentences. Her sister tries to get her to play but she ignores her completely and becomes transfixed on the motion of the ceiling fan. As the days go by she becomes more and more despondent and refuses to even look at us. She spends her time rocking back and forth in a corner of the room, isolated from the rest of the family. In time, she loses more and more of her vocabulary to the point of becoming incapable of communicating any of her thoughts and feelings. She cries a lot now. She cannot stand going into public places like the grocery store or daycare. She never wants to play and she doesn't laugh anymore. It is as if someone came and took our little Savannah away from us and left beft behind another little baby that doesn't know us and doesn't want to be around us.
This is the reality of autism. Not in all cases but, this is a very similar scenario to some that have been described to me and is in many of the personal stories I have read. No matter how hard I try, I just can't really imagin how different life would be having watched helplessly, as my little baby went through this transition. Not being able to help her or even comfort her when she cried. Not seeing her smiling face every morning when she woke up. No, I just can't imagin how different life would be.
Sincerely, Billdaddy