I have been asked more times than I can count why I advocate for people with disabilities. I’ve heard statements like ‘Why don’t you just buy the stroller yourself?‘ Or, ‘Why do you always seem to be fighting some battle around autism?‘ My answer is simple. It’s the right thing to do. I have the means, a voice, the ability and the passion. And I do it for the people that cannot. I advocate for the people that don’t have a voice and for people that can’t advocate for themselves.…
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Ashley Mohesky and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to nominate and honor my mother, Shawnda. My mother, Shawnda, has been my rock since the day I was born. At birth, I weighed two pounds, ten ounces. I lost oxygen to the cerebellum (part of the brain that controls the muscles), and doctors said I would either be in a vegetative state, or die. I was diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP) shortly after. My amazing mother…
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Jenna Newman and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to nominate and honor my son’s preschool teacher, Miss Guerrini, or as we call her, Miss G! When my son Tommy was born, he had a very hard time breathing on his own and was put on breathing machine. Thankfully, he was only on it for a days and in the NICU for about a week. Today, Tommy is six years old and is autistic and…
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Cynthia Beneteau and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to nominate and honor my daughter’s little village. Hi Kate, my name is Cynthia and I have an almost three year old daughter on the spectrum. My husband and I live in Michigan and have been married for nearly 20 years. We have two adult neuro-typcial sons who are 19 and almost 21. Ellyana, our princess, was a complete and total unplanned miracle baby. I conceived her…
My dearest son, Today, I failed you. I failed as your voice, your advocate, and your mother. Since you know me kid, if you could speak, you would probably say, ‘Oh, mama…You are too hard on yourself‘. And, maybe I am. I just love you so much and I cannot stand the thought of the world not giving you a chance. Or learning about your disability. I cannot stand the fact that they refuse to acknowledge the real you. You have autism kid. It’s okay to say that. It’s even…
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Mary Samaro and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to nominate and honor my Father-in-law; Mike Reedy Sr. Our son Greyson, aka “Goose,” was diagnosed with Autism in January. He will be three in a few weeks. It has been a whirlwind, roller coaster, tornado (and any other adjective you can think of) of emotions and decisions since his diagnosis. When he was diagnosed, I quit my job because I just could not figure out how…
(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Lauren Abate and is part of Cooper’s ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to nominate Tom Tipton who owns and operates the We Rock the Spectrum kids gym in Fenton, MO! Tom may not even realize the impact he has had on my family’s lives. He is one of those people that is just genuinely good. Hudson’s Story My son, Hudson, is 31 months old. He has always been a little delayed in meeting his milestones. It just took…
My son Cooper has stripped beds since he was two years old. This means that he will remove the blankets, pillows, top sheet, bottom sheet, mattress pad and even the mattress. This also means that every single day of the week I make three beds from mattress up. Mine, Coopers and Sawyers. I want to tell you that of all the ‘behaviors’ that my son exhibits…bed stripping is the worst in my book.The behavior is exhausting and frustrating. I know he is doing it for sensory input. I understand that.…
I typically look at goals and progress in relation to my son’s autism in one of two ways. There is how far we’ve come and how far we have to go. Cooper is almost seven and I believe he is thriving. When he was first diagnosed we had no idea what the future held. Autism was and still can be a mystery. Add in words like nonverbal and medically complex and it’s even more confusing. We don’t have a crystal ball to tell us what his future holds but I…
This November I want to honor the therapists, teachers, doctors, friends, children, spouses, ABA Centers, and family members that make a difference in your family’s life. This could range from the friend who sat with your child while you showered (for the first time in weeks!) to the doctor who finally listened to you. Or, the grandparent that took your other child to the park so they could get a break from their sibling’s disability to the therapist who puts in hour after hour teaching, modeling and praising your child.…
