Why I walk for Autism Now.

I walk for Noah. Noah is my nephew. He has a twin brother, Isaac and a big sister named Chloe. His parents are my sister, Carrie and her husband, Rich. Like all families, they have joys and struggles. Noah adds to the joy and the struggle both. Noah has autism.

I am participating in a walk sponsored by Autism Speaks in Chicago on May 16th. This organization is instrumental in helping families with autistic children. They provide educational resources, have lobbied for legislation in my state to pass a law making autism covered by health insurance. They fight for the rights of autistic children and their families. We (our team supporting Noah) are so looking forward to taking him to this event. Any funds raised for the walk go to Autism Speaks, who have done and continue to do so much for families dealing with this struggle and joy.

I have seen Noah when he has had a "melt down" in public and started kicking and screaming, drawing glares from passersby. I have seen my sister try to comfort her son under the disapproving eyes of others. I walk for Noah.

I walk for a loving precious boy who can get so excited when he's happy that he flaps his arms feverishly. I walk for that big smile that melts my heart. I walk for when he greets me with a "Hi Pinchy" and my whole world stops for that one moment. I walk for Noah.

I walk for his family, who have made sacrifices most families would never (and should never have to) make. The times that one parent needs to take Noah home away from holiday gatherings, because it is just too much for him. And the outings and vacations that they haven't been able to take because Noah would not be able to enjoy himself. I walk to help make the world aware of the struggles that a family faces when dealing with the medical costs of Autism. I walk for Noah.

I walk for Noah... But not just for Noah, for every other child out there that is like him. Every child deserves a chance to reach their full potential-I walk for them, too. Even if you feel you cannot contribute monetarily at this time, I ask one more thing of you. Next time you're in line at the grocery store and the child in the cart in front of you doesn't respond when you ask him his name or his age, or next time you're at McDonald's and the child behind you won't stop repeatedly screaming "FRENCH FRIES....FRENCH FRIES", please remember that may be my nephew, Noah. He is not misbehaving, he is behaving the only way he knows how when the world becomes too big and he becomes too small. Try to see beyond the bad behavior to a sweet little boy who brings lots of joy and what can fee like unbeatable odds for his family. This is who I walk for, our Noah.

Thanks for reading about Noah. I don't normally advocate for funds/awareness on my blog, but this cause is very real and close to my heart. If you would like to make a donation, you can click here . Thank you again. I'll be back after the weekend with more displaced momma thoughts!