Friday, October 16, 2009

Sean's Walk Now for Autism 2009 Donation Page

Link


Sean at the 2008 Walk

Saturday, October 24, my family and I will be participating in a very
special event, WALK NOW For Autism benefiting the Autism Speaks
Foundation. WALK NOW FOR AUTISM unites the community in support of those
affected by autism with a noncompetitive 5K walk and community resource
fair, where parents meet a variety of autism service providers and kids
enjoy arts & crafts, moon bounces and other fun activities. Experience the
power of thousands united by a single cause by joining WALK NOW FOR AUTISM:
the fast-growing, family-friendly community dedicated to raising necessary
funds for autism research, awareness and outreach.


You may be wondering why Autism Speaks and WALK NOW are so important to me
and my family. My involvement stems from a very personal and deep emotional
contact with this complicated disease.


My 10-year-old son, Sean, was diagnosed with a form of Autism, Asperger's
Syndrome, seven years ago. I am very proud of Sean and impressed with his
progress so far thanks to hard work on his part, our part and an excellent
program within the Cy-Fair School District.


I strongly feel that I can have a direct impact on finding causes and cures
for autism. I also feel strongly that Autism Speaks/Cure Autism Now is a
wonderful organization which has been instrumental in furthering autism
research. In 1995, when Cure Autism Now was founded there were only 12
researches focused solely on autism. Today there are over 300. That is
progress. WALK NOW gives us a tangible way to help the nearly 1.5 million
other Americans affected by autism and related disorders.


I am asking for your support in helping us raise money for this worthy
cause. Any contribution you are able to make would be greatly appreciated,
but I ask you to give big as there is a big need for further research. My
personal goal is to raise $500.00 for Cure Autism Now and I hope to far
exceed that goal. Last year I raised over $1,125.00!


I know times are tough and some of my biggest contributors are no longer
my co-workers due to layoffs, etc. Please give what ever you feel comfortable with.


It is easiest to donate online by going to our personal webpage at


Sean's 2009 Autism Speaks Walk Now page

http://www.walknowforautism.org/houston/seanbridie


If you are unable to donate online, you can print out a donation form from
that page and hand it to me. All checks should be made payable to Autism
Speaks.


Please feel free to forward this e-mail on.

Marc's Autism - Asperger's Syndrome Blog


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Why WALK NOW FOR AUTISM?
Every 20 minutes another child is diagnosed with autism. A cure must be
found NOW. Autism is a neuro-developmental disorder that is commonly
diagnosed by the age of three, and in some cases, as early as one year.
Affecting one in every 91 children born today, autism is characterized by
varying degrees of impairment in communication skills, social interactions,
and restricted, repetitive and stereotypical patterns of behavior. The
money raised at WALK NOW FOR AUTISM supports Autism Speaks' mission to find
the causes, effective treatments and a cure for autism through funding
essential biomedical and scientific research.


About Autism Speaks and Cure Autism Now
Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of the growing autism
epidemic and to raising money to fund scientists who are searching for a
cure. Cure Autism Now was founded in 1995 by Jonathan Shestack and Portia
Iversen, parents of a child with autism. Autism Speaks was founded in
February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, grandparents of a child with
autism. Autism Speaks and Cure Autism Now (CAN) recently announced plans to
combine operations, bringing together the two leading organizations
dedicated to accelerating and funding biomedical research into the causes,
prevention, treatments and cure for autism; to increasing awareness of the
nation's fastest-growing developmental disorder; and to advocating for the
needs of affected families. Together the organizations have awarded autism
research grants valued at more than $50 million. To learn more about Autism
Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org.



About Autism
Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder of development that lasts
throughout a person's lifetime. Because persons with autism exhibit
different symptoms or behaviors, ranging from mild to serious, autism is a
"spectrum" disorder, or a group of disorders with a range of similar
features.


Children with autism have difficulty communicating and interacting with
others. Many individuals with autism seem to retreat into isolation, or
fixate on a word, an object, or an activity.


Sometimes symptoms are seen in infancy, while other children develop
normally for a year or more before they begin to slip into their own
private world. At best, a high functioning person with autism may simply
seem eccentric, a loner. At worst, a person with more profound autism may
never learn to speak or care for themselves.


You are never prepared for a child with autism. You will gradually come to
believe it, but never fully accept it, get used to it, or get over it. You
put away the hopes and dreams you had for that child - the high school
graduation, the June wedding. Small victories are cause for celebration - a
word mastered, a dry bed, a hug given freely.


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I look forward to hearing from you. I thank you very much!


Always,
Marc

3 comments:

Lauren said...

Good luck w/ the walk! I just found your blog today... my 8 year old son is awaiting an eval for possible Asperger's also here in Cy-Fair... it's nice to know we aren't alone...

hkghkghk said...

Thank you Lauren! Good luck on the eval. You are definitely not alone, there are many kids in the spectrum.

Take care.

Mom's Fortress of Solitude said...

I just found your blog, too. I have four boys, including 7 year old twins. One was diagnosed with autism at 2.5 years of age. The other was diagnosed with APD (Auditory Processing Disorder) at the same age. However, yesterday, he was diagnosed with Asperger's and comorbid ADHD.

Now, I'm scouring the net to learn more about this disorder, and connect with other parents of Aspies.

Thank you for sharing your story.