AGE OF AUTISM HONOREES FOR PERSON OF THE YEAR

The Age of Autism Award nominations in this category were heartfelt, and Age of Autism is proud to recognize these day-in-and-day-out efforts. They don't capture the limelight but they do earn our admiration and gratitude.

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I would like to nominate my wife, Christine Garton.

She deserves it on so many levels. It would be great for her to be recognized for her hard work.

Christine is a mother of three and my wife of almost 12 years. Our second child, now 7,  was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3. She was thrown into the disability world and left to deal with it on her own, as I was deployed to Iraq right after the diagnosis. Yes we are a military family which only adds to the stress and frustration of having a child with autism.

With each relocation Christine has to re-establish all of Scott's services; ABA therapy, PT, ST, OT as well as interviewing and picking the right classroom for him. Christine has gone through that process 3 times already and we will soon face having to do it again next year. She does it all with passion and few complaints.

We currently reside in Moore County NC. We moved here in July of 2004. Even though she did not know anyone here, no friends no family, Christine saw a need for and managed to start a support group from scratch. The support group, started in September 05 as P*A*C- Parent of Autistic Children. At the first meeting there were 6 parents and by the time Christmas came there were between 15 and 20 families regularly attending. She got the parents together for personal support as well as organizing educational workshops about IEP's and inviting guest speakers. Her first annual Christmas Party saw 35 families!

In January of 2006 Christine was offered a position with Family Support Network of NC. The local developing group was Family Support Network of the Sandhills, serving 8 counties. At that time FSN of the Sandhills served 0 families and today Christine serves over 100 families. Christine makes herself available to families anytime they need something.

Please visit her website for more information and greater insight into what she does: www.fsnsandhills.info. By the way, Christine built this website from scratch with no professional help. She spent 3 months building this site. Be sure to visit the "staff" page to read more about Christine and her regular blogs on another local website as well.

She works so hard for so many other families and she still takes care of her own. I am so proud of her!

-Brian Garton
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As much as I would like to nominate Jenny McCarthy for the award -- after all she has opened up the eyes of the world to autism and what can be done for it -- I have someone else in mind.

Actually the person I would like to nominate is my daughter Gayle LaTulippe.  Gayle and her husband Steve are the parents of 2 delicious children on the autism spectrum.  They were married for 9 years when they decided to have a family, Haley was born on 12/31/99 and Eli on 1/12/2001.  Haley seemed to be progressing "normally" for a while, but then we all started to notice things and at about 18 months old there were things that didn't seem quite right, no walking, no eye contact, no speech that might have been there, etc.

Gayle and Steve went through all the usual visits to the pediatrician's office who of course kept saying, oh she's just slow, she'll catch up, don't worry about it.  After many such visits and Gayle doing extensive investigation, we knew something was really wrong.  This is where the connection to Jenny McCarthy is quite amazing, Gayle went to a conference in Boston and a very caring friend Pam Kania went with her; they listened to many lectures and talks on autism.

At this conference Gayle had the good fortune to hear Dr. Jerry Kartzinel, who Jenny McCarthy credits with saving her son Evan.  Gayle decided when she heard Dr. Jerry, as we call him, that he was the doctor to go to.  She came home from the conference very energized, with all kinds of important information, called Dr. Jerry's office and shortly thereafter we made a trip to see him.  Never have I shaken the hand of a human being and felt so confident. I said to myself, "I'm glad we are here."

When Haley was about 2 years old Eli was born, and once again we thought he seemed okay. Long story short, he was not and the same procedures have been followed for both Haley and Eli.  They are now 6 and 8, they have made very good progress, but it has taken years It's a slow climb, but with Dr. Jerry's help, ideas, checkups, diets and biomedical intervention, they are on their way.

It is hard to see how long it has taken and all the work Gayle has done to make it happen.  They were fortunate enough to go to a fabulous pre-school which had typical children as well as children with the same issues as my grandchildren.  Their very dedicated teacher Miss Ruth, as we call her, has been with them every step of the way, even to the extent of going to another conference with Gayle, so that she could learn as much as she could about children on the autism spectrum.

Well, here we are at the end of 2007, Haley is in first grade in a special class in a regular public school in Economy, PA. and doing very very well.  Eli is in his last year at preschool and Gayle is working on seeing where he will be going for kindergarten.  It is an ongoing daily event for Gayle to be on the phone or on the computer working on finding good resources for her wonderful children.  I am very proud of what she has accomplished and what she will continue accomplish down the road.  She is determined that Haley and Eli will have a good happy life and be able to take care of themselves.

I have no doubt that this will happen, I only hope that I will be here to see it.
Linda Engel
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My name is Peggy Fleischer and I would like to nominate my sister, Holly Masclans, from Haddonfield, NJ for the above award.  No, she is not famous and mostly unknown outside of the state of New Jersey, but as she closes her letters and e-mails, she is:

Mom on a Mission for Autism
Vaccines - too many - too soon - too toxic

Holly has a B.A. in Chemical Engineering from Penn State University and worked full-time in the industry until shortly after her second child, Ben's one-year old birthday, when he was diagnosed with PDD, an autism spectrum disorder.  According to her recollection, Ben was given HepB on his 2nd day of life and was failure to thrive after returning from the hospital -- although before the shot he ate like there was no tomorrow.  At about 6 months she noticed at Campbell Soup daycare that he had what I know is today an absent seizure, where she would try to get his attention and he would not respond.  By his 2 year old birthday he was a very very very sick boy and Holly didn't realize how sick he really was.
    
Holly gave up her job and later her entire 401K to take care of her son and do research on his condition.  Because of her training, she was able to investigate and understand the link between mercury and other substances in vaccines and autism. I remember visiting when Ben was two years old and the only way we could walk him home 4 blocks from the park was to play 'Hide and Seek' behind every tree in the direction of her house.  He had no speech and was allergic to most foods. She began a strict diet with Ben and supplementation with digestive enzymes.  She started a support group in her town and through word of mouth, many moms all over Southern New Jersey  called and e-mailed her throughout the years for information about treatments and doctors.  She became an expert on websites and treatments, doing everything from chelation, which is removal of metals from the brain to treatments in the hyperbaric oxygen chamber and using natural medicine. 
These moms barely have time to take care of themselves and their children, let alone do research into what is best for their child nor help other moms.  That is where Holly came in.  She said she would pray over the Internet and the Lord would lead her to helpful information and contacts.  Through word of mouth, many moms called her for help and she would advise them step by step.   When Ben was 3 years old and being treated medically and with educational therapy for autism,  Claudia, his sister was born.  She developed thrush after her 2 month old vaccines and had 8 seizures over a ten week period after her 4 month old shots. She was diagnosed with 'biomedically-induced autism.'  She had Prevnar, Polio, DPaT, HiB and HepB all at once. Of course Hib is a result of the DPaT.  If you don't get the DPT your immune system won't be compromised and you won't get Hib. Holly recognized the symptoms right away, started chelation and special diet with Claudia immediately, and stopped all additional vaccinations. Cludia had severe gastrointestinal problems, no speech,  and the same behavioral symptoms as Ben.

This is when she realized  without a doubt that there is link between childhood vaccines and autism. Knowing that there is a cause gave Holly hope for a definite cure.  She spent the next 5 years having therapists parade through her house for one on one tutoring for both children, doing research on the Internet into the chemical causes of autism, and visiting specialists all over the country. When Ben was 5 years old, she sent him to a special school in her town, which cost $86,000. for one year. This is only a fraction of what they have spent in medical treatments and educational therapies over the years.
    
Ben is now almost 10 years old and Claudia is almost 7.  To meet these children now, you would never know that they ever had autism, although Ben has some learning disabilities and is home-schooled by Holly. Claudia is in first grade and is doing very well.  They are both officially 'cured' thanks to the persistent efforts of Holly and her husband, J.L.  They now have another daughter who is almost five, Margot, and she has never had a shot in her life.

Holly has a bumper-sticker on her car, which says:  "Are Vaccines really Safe?, go to www.thinktwice.com" and she drives by the parking lots of the offices of pediatricians and pre-schools and urges mothers of newborns to 'educate before you vaccinate.' She has been to rallies in Washington  D.C. and supports many efforts to make the real causes of autism known and to promote vaccine safety. Sadly, conventional doctors were of no help and have only fought her efforts to help others learn the truth. Drug companies have also disguised the dangers of vaccines because it is such a profitable industry and they will continue to do so until more moms like Holly speak up with the truth.

My first grandchild was born this year and I am proud to say that he has never been vaccinated and will only ever be 'over my dead body.'   Holly is just one example of many moms who are willing to stand up for the truth and I applaud their efforts.
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The giants who are most deserving of your first annual Age of Autism Award are the moms and dads who are trying everything humanely possible to care for a child or children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, holding down jobs, paying the rent and health insurance (which doesn't cover the majority of the bills) and struggling with daily living and managing to maintain their sanity.  How many do you suppose there are today?  They are all of the other "Jenny McCarthys" who are seeking the answers for their kids' recovery.  (Love you, Jenny, for being the spokesperson for all of the parents.)   Autism wrecks havoc on families by stripping away innocent and carefree childhoods and replacing them with heartache and frustration - both emotionally and financially.

So if I could, I would nominate all of the moms and dads.  But since that's impossible, I'm taking this opportunity to nominate my daughter Sally Leivermann for your first annual Age of Autism Award.  She's not a celebrity, nor the head of a large organization.  Nor is she the parent of a child with autism.  She is a tireless, selfless and loving sister, aunt, daughter, mom, and friend, who is saddened by the realities of life for families dealing with autism, and who wanted to make and is making a difference.  Let me explain:
Forty-some years ago, when Sally received her DPT shot, she immediately spiked a 105 fever, staggered, and stared into space.  She was hospitalized and tested (with a spinal tap) for meningitis; we also consulted neurologists to determine whether she had epilepsy or some similar disorder.  After months and months of monitoring her, she was finally back to normal.  When administering a follow-up booster, our pediatrician said that he would eliminate the "P" (pertussis) so the problem wouldn't occur again.  Our other children were vaccinated as well - we didn't question it.  Sally's three kids have been vaccinated and are healthy.  But then, six years ago, our oldest daughter Susan had a beautiful little girl named Ana.  Ana was vaccinated and after developing normally for about 18 months, began showing regression in several areas.  She was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum.  (I note that as a result of what happened to Ana, we recommended that our son's three-month-old son not receive any vaccines, and to this date he has not.)

Our family kept Ana's disorder to ourselves for quite some time, hoping that the combination of conventional and biomedical treatments would produce miraculous results.  While Ana has made progress, all of these treatments have resulted in tremendous financial strain on Susan and her husband.

Ana's Aunt Sally (the woman I am nominating for your award), finally confided in a few close friends.  And then she told a few more.  To date, Sally has rallied a large group of compassionate and giving friends to raise money for one year of Ana's treatment, which will be over $89,000 this year alone.  At the same time, Sally wanted to attempt to play a role in stopping this current epidemic by educating these friends and others about autism.

Because of the love and respect Sally's friends have for her, they have assisted her in undertaking a number of activities to help cover Ana's expenses and get the word out about this devastating disorder and what can be done to help those afflicted.  These activities include those listed below (please go to www.ANA149.com to see more examples):

◦        Sally's friend Brian ran the New York Marathon this past November on Ana's behalf.  Through the combined efforts of Brian and Sally and her friends they raised over $26.2 thousand dollars for the ANA149 Fund!  (You can read Brian's letter, which is attached.)

◦        Sally and her friends are organizing other tremendous fundraising events, including a huge party, which will include a silent-auction.  The proceeds will go to both Ana's family to cover her treatment expenses and to Fraser in Minneapolis, a nationally renowned non-profit organization which provides treatment for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and developmental disorders.
 
◦        Three little girls in Sally's neighborhood made flyers and went door-to-door offering dog walking services.  Working for three days straight, they raised money to contribute to the ANA149 Fund.

◦        Following Sally's example, her young daughter and her friends are raising money and awareness by selling bracelets which state "HOPE4ana" on them.  Her young son skipped birthday gifts and asked that his friends instead make a contribution to the ANA 149 Fund.

Indeed, Sally has been tireless, and taken this on as a full-time job - in addition to working a "real" job and raising three kids with her husband Steve.  Because of her love and devotion to Ana and Susan, through her efforts, she helping to ease the financial pain for Susan and has single-handedly raised awareness of autism among hundreds of people in her network.

Our prayer is for full recovery for Ana, and a reversal of this epidemic called Autism.

Sincerely,
Sandy Raitt
Bloomington, MN

Comments

[Christine Garton]

AOA, thank you for this wonderful recognition! Thank you to my husband for nominating me. It is not something I would have ever expected.

I do feel honored. Thank you for all you do to bring awareness and education about autism to the national community.

Congratulations to all of the other nominees as well!

Happy New Year.