world autism awareness day

Today is World Autism Awareness Day - help spread the word!

In honor of my nephew, Cade, I made a donation to Autism Speaks which will help fund autism research, awareness, advocacy and family services. Please consider making a donation to help children and families affected by this disorder - and all those who will be.

I had the pleasure of seeing Cade a couple of weeks ago and spending some precious time with him. He is now seven years old and is almost up to my nose! Pretty soon he will tower over me and will definitely be able to wrestle more with me (and win!) whenever he asks to be tickled. He is a huge Power Rangers fan and loves to play games on the computer, often utilizing the mouse and the DVD player on his own (sometimes to his parents' dismay!). He may not have a huge vocabulary but it is growing more and more each time I see him.

He may not fully say "I love you" but I know he feels it and he tries really hard by responding with "you" whenever we tell him. He may not be able to fully express his emotions like we do, but I know he feels them. My sister brought all three boys in the car when it came time to drop me off at the airport and he was the only one still awake when we got there. He could see airplanes in the night sky and pointed to one outside the window as we approached and said, "plane". My sister explained to him that they were taking me to the airport and that "Titi has to take an airplane to go home". His eyes got watery and he whispered, "bye bye", which made both of us tear up. I turned around and looked at him and said, "I love you, Cade", and he said, "you".

[sorry, getting all choked up here!]

I love and miss you so much, Cade!

Walk Now for Autism Bay Area - 06.07.08

I am participating in Walk Now for Autism to help find a cure for autism in honor of my nephew, Cade.

Autism is the second most common developmental disorder in the United States affecting one in every 150 children born today. Despite some promising discoveries, the cause of autism is unknown and a cure does not exist. Research is crucial. Every 20 minutes another child is diagnosed with autism. Not only must we find ways to improve the quality of life for children and adults with autism, but we also must find a cure, and soon.

Walk Now for Autism is our chance to make a difference in the fight against autism by raising money for autism research and heightening public awareness. Please join me in my fight as I raise $500.00 to help fund essential research. I will be walking on Saturday, June 7th (the day before our wedding!) with my family and friends and would like you to support those affected by autism.

(Note: if you're in town for our wedding and would like to walk as well, please register online and join our team)!

You can donate to Walk Now for Autism online through my webpage at http://www.walknowforautism.org. Donations can also be mailed to Autism Speaks using the donation form located on my page or send me a check made out to Autism Speaks. My team name is "Blastoff for Cade"; please note this on your check and the donation form.

Please join me in my fight against autism. Please pass this info on to help my team do this for Cade and all those affected with autism.

Thank you so much in advance for your support! :)

world autism awareness day

I know I've been due for a post soon but this is just a quick one to let you know that today is World Autism Awareness Day. You can read more about it here.

Did you know ...

• Autism affects as many as 1 in 150 children and 1 in 94 boys
  
• Autism is the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the world
  
• More children will be diagnosed with autism this year than with diabetes, cancer, & AIDS combined
  
• Boys are four times more likely than girls to have autism
  
• There is no medical detection or cure for autism, but early diagnosis and intervention improve outcomes
  
• Autism does not discriminate by geography, class, or ethnicity

My nephew, Cade, has autism. He is now six years old and has just started kindergarten. His vocabulary has grown so much in the past two years -- he can even count to ten in Spanish. He is so full of energy and can always make you laugh.

My sister's best friend, Aurora, has started a Walk Now for Autism team for the Bay Area walk in Pleasanton, California on Saturday, June 7th called the "Blastoff for Cade Team". Their goal is to raise $3,000 to help raise awareness about the increasing prevalence of autism and the need for increased research funding to combat this complex disorder. Please consider making a donation to support their team.

We love you, Cade!