A Great Grandfather and Autism

It’s been almost ten months since Pop went home to heaven. He was 82 years young and it still is a big transition and heartbreak for our family. He was hilarious, full of faith, and a lifelong learner.  Our eldest son Emmett was diagnosed with autism at three and a half years old, long before this I was reading books and studying everything I could in early intervention because my heart knew it would be a benefit for him. Alongside me, through it all, was Pop, reading everything I read,…

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Mom, I Can Never Thank You Enough

You know the saying, “It takes a village.” Well, now I totally get it. Being a Mom is no walk in the park. You are constantly doing for everybody else, and rarely have time for yourself. I went the whole weekend without showering. I even skipped dinner and didn’t realize until I was starving at 10pm.  Mom brain is in full force, at all times! So, on the days when I feel like I am at my weakest, and I get a random call from my Mom asking if Harper…

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I’m Thankful for the Ultimate Grammie

I am honoring my mother, the ultimate autism Grammie, Hughena Gear. I am thankful for her for so many reasons. If you look at the definition of thinking outside the box, she defines it. There is not one thing she will not do for her grandchildren. Our eldest son Emmett was diagnosed with autism almost three years ago, he is now six. Mum has been there every step of the way. They relate, she sees things how he does sometimes, stuff that we may not able to see right away.…

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Thank You to the Friend Who Helped

I am a 56 year old mother in Florida with twin boys – one with autism and one without.  They are now 19 years old. I knew my son had autism before he turned 2 – when I look back on it – I think he had it from birth.  They were born at 28 weeks and had to spend 2 months in NICU.  He always hated the bright lights and noise in there – would try to pull out his IV’s – had to have music to calm him…

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I’m Thankful For You: The Child Who Defends My Daughter

This December I want to thank and honor the one child that defends my autistic daughter in school. I want you to know that I hear the positive things you are doing. I know you are sticking up for my daughter. And I can never thank you enough. My daughter Lillian was first diagnosed with autism when she was four years old. I had a hard time trusting this diagnosis because there wasn’t much testing done at all. We went the next few years without much help until Lillian was…

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I’m Thankful For You: My Daughter

(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Mandy Conner and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This December I want honor and thank my daughter Rilyn. Her love for her sister Katelyn ‘KK’ is unbelievable. My oldest daughter Rilyn is 11 and Katelyn is 10. Rilyn and Kk are 15 months apart so the majority of her life she has lived and dealt with Autism on a daily basis. There have been parties we had to miss, vacations cut short and nights where no one slept. Through it…

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I’m Thankful For You: My Husband’s Aunt and Uncle

(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Carmen and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) I’m honoring my husband’s Aunt Sandra and Uncle Harry. I am thankful to them for simply loving my children from the beginning. Aunt Sandra and Uncle Harry have taught me to have faith in humanity again. They love my children unconditionally, no matter what, and have never known my kids are on the spectrum, because we ourselves didn’t know for a good while. Sounds simple enough to love children, but it hasn’t…

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I’m Thankful For You: My Son’s Occupational Therapist

(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Valerie McMahon and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to honor and thank my son’s Occupational Therapist, Debbie. I can’t thank her enough for the help she has given us. A little bit about our family! We moved from Maine to South Carolina when our son was 18 months old. My husband, Patrick’s dad, is a State Trooper and I am a stay at home mom. In my gut I knew he wasn’t a typical…

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I’m Thankful For You: My Son’s Speech Therapist

(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Samantha Fawns and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to honor and thank my son’s Speech Therapist, Mrs. Marti. We are who we are today, because of Mrs. Marti. My name is Sam and my first child, Carter Rue has autism. All I ever wanted to be was a mama. From the day he was born, I spent every minute with Carter. Playing with him, trying to read to him, trying to teach him words,…

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I’m Thankful For You: My Daughter Selena

(Editor’s Note: This article was provided by Christina Abernethy and is part of Cooper’s, ‘I’m Thankful For You’ Campaign.) This November I would like to honor and thank Selena, my understanding, passionate and kind hearted daughter. There are many people that I could write about that help our sweet ‘Bubba’ but she’s the one who stands out the most! Selena is 15 years old and the best big sister to our twin boys Ethan and Braidan.  They are six years old and in first grade. Ethan (nickname ‘Bubba’) is our…

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