In honor of April being autism awareness month I would like to feature the story of a very special friend of mine. Her name is Sharon and she is a single mom raising three children. Two of her children are autistic and were ages two and six when we met. Their story is an amazing one.
One day, six years ago on MySpace, Sharon wrote a blog that I will never forget. It was entitled “A Day In The Life of A Mom of Two Autistic Children”. I was exhausted after reading it. Exhausted and amazed at the the job Sharon did everyday with these children. At the time Matt was two and Lauren was six. I’ve met Lauren at concerts we used to attend together. Both are beautiful children having such a hard time living in this world.
Then one day Sharon put a link on Facebook to raise $6000 for a service dog. A service dog? For autism? I found this concept amazing. We all got behind Sharon and the kids and, yes, raised the money. Matt and Lauren received training and Brock became a full-fledged member of their family. Lauren and Matt’s life was forever changed by the arrival of Brock.
Brock, Lauren, and Matt’s story was in Ladies Home Journal Magazine and can be read here:
Best Friends: How A German Shepard Changed Lives
Today I’m sad to report that Brock is very sick and has to be retired. Life without a service dog could devastate these children’s lives. We now need to do it again. We need to help raise another $6000 dollars for Matt and Lauren to get a new service dog. If you are willing to help, please go to the link below to read the story of the difference Brock made in the lives of all members of this family and see pictures of Matt and Lauren with Brock. You will see that every dollar you pledge will make a huge difference for Matt and Lauren.
Thank you in advance to all of you who click on the link and give some love to my very special friends. In addition to giving, could you please share the link to this blog with your friends on Facebook and retweet on Twitter.
And so, as another day goes by, we did it once, we can do it again, let’s go, and… I have written.
Photo: Shell painted by Ari Kaufman.
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