A testimonial from Team Guppy...
For Autism Rescue Angels
Todd & I have been married for 30 years. For the 24 years of that time that we've had autism in our marriage, I can count on one hand the number of times we've been able to go on a vacation together. A real vacation, one out of our state for a week, a whole entire week, doing something extravagant (to us at least)...
When asked to share what receiving funds from Autism Rescue Angels has meant to us - I thought about that...
And the floodgates of all that our "Life with Autism, Seizures, and a side of PANDAS" has taken away from Brandon, from us as his parents, from us as husband and wife, from his typical brother, and from us as a family unit - came gushing out in tears.
I thought about the endless sacrifices.
Plural.
Very plural.
Endless.
It seems that is all we do...sacrifice something.
It's hard to paint a picture with words of both the depth of hardship of this journey and the height of thankfulness for the help received along the journey.
The need, so great.
The help, so sparse.
I guess for me I could describe it in terms of this stage of "Life with Autism, Seizures, and a side of PANDAS" we personally are in...
Impending retirement.
Where infinite need collides with finite resources.
Where once we had the ability to spend as much as we could - and more - to do anything and everything to help our son recover or at least be out of pain and somewhat independent; we are having to face that we aren't there yet. Such a long way yet to go. But no more money to spend in attempting to get there. It's incomprehensible how little support there is. We have all the insurance in the world, but none of it covers what he needs. Everything that has helped him and that does help him, out of pocket. So many promising things to try, but no funds to try them with as we must shift gears in plan for how to pay his constant needs once we are no longer living to provide them.
It's a horrific place to be.
A sucker-punch that for this past year I've not quite caught my breath from.
Now, more than ever, it will take a village.
A village of those willing to help in whatever way they can - the need for respite, so great.
The need for donations, even greater.
As an adult - allow me to describe his situation in this way. Our son is essentially a homeless person. We have given a vow to love and protect and advocate for him as his guardians - but with that comes no financial help to do so.
We are the only village Brandon has.
Let that sink in.
He cannot care for himself, work, or live independently.
His needs and care are too great for just us.
He needs a village.
He needs many people helping in whatever way they can, and what is most needed, is donations.
The times we have received help for Brandon's financial needs - have been the times we've seen HOPEISM shining the brightest.
It's when we've felt the love of a village.
People donating to Autism Rescue Angels and saying "I want to be part of someone's village" --
That you want to be someone's HOPEISM.
And in a journey where you feel nothing but all alone and isolated....
It is a life raft to receive such HOPEISM in the form of a grant.
Something tangible that says, "We care."
We can't take the burden away, but we can lighten it in this way.
There just aren't adequate words to describe the love felt in that.
Thank you, everyone, who donates to Autism Rescue Angels.
Thank you for being a part of our village in this way.
Team Guppy
Choosing Happy. Living Joyfully. Following Christ. Wearing Camo. Michelle M. Guppy
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