We face our own mortality every day.
We know that if anything were to happen to us he would be left – no one can understand his words better than us, no one cooks his food like us, no one knows how to do his schedule, plan his meals, his table, his homework, his music, his clothes, his haircuts, his nails, his teeth, his doctors, his medicine like us. No one can calm him down like us, no one can explain things to him like us, no one can negotiate with him like us. I mean, they can, but not like us.
So, what happens when we are gone? What happens when he gets average care? What happens when life takes your plans and throws them back in your face?
What happens when your dad has a heart-attack?
The world stops, looks at you and shatters right in front of your eyes; the earth is swept from under you; time stands still and your life past, present and future is ripped apart; just like that, in an instant. For me, because I’m so far away, it was the first time I thought of quitting it all and going back. It was my worst nightmare come true; in the middle of a course, in debt, alone, what would I be able to offer my family? How do you explain to a 16-year-old autistic boy that his daddy was in intensive care for a week? How do you explain the concept of loss to him?
Families of Autism live with these thoughts every day, we don’t have a cure and we definitely do not have answers.
All we want is awareness. We want you to know, we want you to learn, we want you tell people about Autism; because when we are not there, we need to know that they will be cared for, they will be accepted, they will be given opportunities and the chance to grow, develop and be part of society. Because when their world is turned upside down and they don’t understand why we need our society to be equipped and ready to welcome them and support them.
Because we don’t want to be their entire world, we want the world to be their world; if that makes sense.
The holidays are approaching, maybe your gift this year can be reading one article about Autism, having a conversation with someone onthe spectrum, talking to your children about that kid in school and why he ‘acts different’. Your five minutes of being open, reading and understanding may help change a kids life.
Read, ask, learn about Autism; fear ignorance more than mortality.
Just a boy 