Media

“Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. Acts 9:34

Yesterday’s sermon began with scripture from Acts 9. It was a present reminder of the miracles Jesus performs. Having once made a crippled man walk and having brought Tabitha back from the dead, so too will He perform miracles for Jacob and Maggie.

As many of you know we have been in a constant battle with our insurance company for the past 18 months. Although there is a legal mandate requiring the insurance companies to cover the cost of autism therapies, we have yet to receive any payment for Jacob’s or Maggie’s ABA therapy. We were ecstatic when our initial requests were precertified, then completely devastated when our claims were quickly denied. I sympathise with those families that are taking on the insurances companies on their own, as we have been there. Fortunately, Jacob and Maggie have an awesome support system via the center. With the help of HCA we are making progress on the insurance front.

As parents of two young autistic children we have learned that we must advocate and educate, especially now that the incidence of autism is on the rise. In the last few weeks several articles have appeared, both locally and nationally, sharing our personal conundrum with autism and insurance. Please take a few minutes to read the story from The Floyd County Times, The Herald Leader, and from the Associated Press.

In the next few days we will be working with the center to develop a set of new goals for both Jacob and Maggie. When he first began attending the center just over one year ago Jacob was not able to follow simple one-step commands. As of now he is completing as many as four at a time. We are also very excited about the prospect of Jacob being paired with a “neuro-typical” peer. Jacob loves other children, and his play skills will greatly improve once he is able to interact with another child who is able to tolerate his quirks. Maggie is beginning to vocalize to get our attention, is starting to initiate play and even imitate some. We are very pleased with her progress.

Today I am thankful for the media coverage that is raising autism awareness, and I am proud of Jacob and Maggie’s role in this battle.

Eggs and Running Shoes

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:1-6

Happy Autism Awareness Month to all of the families determined to win the battle against autism!

I had a conversation yesterday with another parent from Jacob and Maggie’s center. The conversation was brief, but God-sent as it is always refreshing to have the chance to speak with others who can truly relate. She must have sensed my still-grieving state when the topic of discussion turned to Maggie’s recent diagnosis. Her advice to me, stop grieving for my children. Any parent of an autistic child has likely experienced one if not all stages of the grieving processing, and justifiably so. Losing the child (or in our case children) you had imagined to be flawless and carefree to a disease such as autism is devastating. She made me realise that the more time I devote to mourning Jacob and Maggie’s current situation, the less time I can be advocating for future possibilities. It is not easy for me to relate to parents of neurotypcial children. While we can share with one another charming stories of our children, I guarantee I will never be able offer any valuable advice on such topics as curfews, nor would I expect most people to be able to swap their favorite GFCF recipes. And though I may be deal with clothing tantrums like many parents of neurotypical children, my battles will be not over name brands and length, but of texture and comfortability. Tyler and I must make it a point to regularly team up with others in the autism circle, it is often a reminder that we are not dealing with this alone. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25

The past two weekends have been jam-packed with holidays and fundraising. For Easter we visited our Louisville crew, and learned that Jacob has a knack for hunting eggs. He never missed a beat, but Maggie on the other hand was quite a different story. Instead of collecting eggs, Maggie would have rather pulled weeds. It seems as though we will need to start training early for next year’s Easter egg hunt. On a positive note both Jacob and Maggie had a great time, and since Maggie opted not to hunt eggs, Jacob had two Easter baskets to use for collecting. And as impressive as his hoard of Easter eggs was, I was most proud of Jacob’s behavior.

Yesterday was the fourth annual 5K fundraiser for the center. It turned out to be a beautiful day, and there was a wonderful turnout from the community, families, and staff from the center. We would like to personally thank each and everyone who came out to support Jacob and Maggie, and to those who were running along with us in spirit. We won’t be putting away our running shoes for too long. We will be back at it on the 27th of this month, also in support of the center.

Today I am thankful to all whom came out to support of all of the kiddos at the center. It meant so much.

*Jacob has been gradually warming up to dogs, particularly big ones. We would like to get him and Maggie a dog for their birthdays in a couple of months. We are researching the best breeds for children with autism, but any and all suggestions are invited.