Help the Autistic!!!

Status
Not open for further replies.

Christopher

Puritan Board Freshman
Hi all. As many of you know as of yesterday I now have two autistic boys, Noah and Levi. God has blessed my life graetly through these tow "special needs" children. Most of all God has taught me about Himself and about myself through this jouney of autism.
If you know anything about autism youknow that we know very little. however, there are strides being made. In time we may be able to unlock the mystery of autism and find the answers to the "why" or "how" of this epidimic. Theologicaly some answers can be given and I am working on some papers concerning that. However, in practical ways this is not known to us.
That is why I am asking for your help. Next month there will be a walk in San Diego to benifit the research of autism. I have set up a donation web site for all who can spare even the slightest change to sponsor or team: "Noah's Hope". Also, if you live in San Diego or near by and would like to show further support I would LOVE to invite you to walk with Noah's team (and now it is Levi's team as well). So far I have about four or five family members walking with us. If I have enough walkers i will order t-shirts that will display a Christian message on it so as to take opportunity to witness the Gospel to the world. However, I know that many of you can not be here for the walk so again we would be very thrilled if you could prayerfully support or walk for autism by giving any amount you want ($1, $5, $1,000,000 , whatever). None of the money goes to me or any person. It goes to the research for autism.
Thanks to you all from myself, Mary, Noah, and Levi.

To Donate: www.justgiving.com/PFP/Noah

(Donations are tax deductable)

P.S. Sorry for the bad spelling.
 
Just to let you all know, when you visit the above website, that picture is not me or Noah. It is somebody else. Although, the guy sort of looks like me now that I think about it.
 
Funds are dry for me right now (as I'm in college) but this summer I will have a job, please remind me of this soon so I could possibly help out! (assuming it's up that long)

I wrote you two down in a little prayer notebook I've started keeping. My memory isn't fair, I can remember obscure dates from history and what's connected with them but I can't remember to pray for my Christian brothers and sisters today! Oh well...
 
Official Letter

Below is the officail letter I am sending to folks concerning the walk. I know many of you can not give or be here for the walk, but please consider cutting this letter and pasting it to an e-mail sent to a friend or family member. Maybe your church might be interrested in giving a gift as well.




Dear family and friends:
I would like to take a moment to share with you the story of my oldest son Noah. Noah developed normally for the first year of life. However, at around one and a half years old my wife and I began to notice subtle changes in our little boy. Instead of being interested in playing with toy dinosaurs and sound-making and flashing light type toys like other children his age, he developed fascinations with things like shadows, particles of dust in the light and such items as screws and bolt. He also began to regress socially, refusing to play with other children and frequently ignoring us when we were talking to him or calling his name. Most disturbingly, his language, which had been developing normally, stopped developing and eventually, as if overnight, disappeared all together. Noah also became self-injurious, banging his head forcefully on the walls and violently throwing his body onto hard surfaces. Whether at home or in public, he would let out loud ear-piercing shrieks and engage in tantrums of volcanic magnitude. Fortunately, my wife heard about autism from a talk show and from there we began a long journey in finding out what was wrong with our dear little boy. Well, a little over 2 years ago he was diagnosed with autism.
AUTISM ... a single word that dramatically changed our lives forever. Although autism affects more children than Down's syndrome and cystic fibrosis combined, many of you, like we were, probably know very little about this devastating disorder. Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by the triad of impaired social skills, repetitive behaviors, and communication problems. Simple things that most of us take for granted such as having a conversation, playing with or even making friends are difficult or impossible for Noah. Times that should be sources of great joy for a child and their families such as opening gifts on Christmas morning or celebrating a birthday are meaningless to Noah and simply serve as painful reminders of how dysfunctional our lives have become. While physically he appears like a normal 4 year old, he has a development age that is significantly years behind and is essentially non-verbal. Instead of spending his day playing games and having fun with friends, Noah spends most of her time (35-40 hours per week) in intensive one-on-one behavioral therapy attempting to learn things that most of us take for granted. While he has made progress over the past year thanks to his therapy, he still has many problems.
The number of children afflicted with autism is increasing at an alarming rate. In fact, just two days ago my second son, Levi, has been evaluated and appears to have autism as well. While there are many theories as to the causes of autism, the simple truth is that the cause of the vast majority cases of autism remains unknown. Thus, the available options for treating this disease are limited. Our hope is that someday our understanding of this mysterious disease will progress to the point where it can be treated or even cured.
An organization called the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) shares these same dreams. NAAR was founded by families, like us, concerned about the limited amount of biomedical research conducted into the causes, prevention, and treatment of autism. While only four years old, NAAR is already the largest non-governmental, non-profit supporter of autism research in the world.
We hope to accomplish great things for autism by participating in a Walkathon--Walk F.A.R. (Family and Friends for Autism Research) for NAAR. This walk run skate event will hopefully raise the level of awareness and give many of us, whose lives have been touched by autism, the hope we desperately need.
While many corporate sponsors have been recruited for this event, we are writing to ask for your personal support. Please join our family as we Walk F.A.R. for NAAR on June 5, 2004, at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, Ca. All ages are encouraged to attend for this 2-mile event as a show of support and a chance to raise money for a great cause. Also, if you are unable to be with us in North Park, perhaps you would consider sponsoring our team, "Noah's Hope," with a monetary contribution to N.A.A.R. You can do this by visiting our team web site (www.justgiving.com/PFP/Noah). For more information on N.A.A.R. itself you can visit their website as well (www.naar.org)
Doug Flutie, quarterback for the NFl's Buffalo Bills, NAAR board member, and father of an autistic son, was asked once if leading his team to a victory in the then upcoming super bowl would his ultimate dream come true. "No" he replied. "My ultimate dream would be to hear my son say "Hi Daddy"". Please join "Noah's Hope", as we walk in the hope that through research simple dreams, such as Mr. Flutie's as well as those shared by the families afflicted by autism, may some day come true. Thank you for your support,


Christopher, Mary, Noah, and Levi Fales

[Edited on 5-9-2004 by Christopher]
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top