Well southern Ohio’s humidity continues to rear it’s ugly head. This past week had days with the humidity at 98% in the mornings, which made running nearly impossible. Friday morning was about the best I had seen it, so I laced up and hit the pavement. The temp was around 70 and the humidity was a balmy 91% when I took off. I was quickly drenched in sweat and wondered why I had even left the comfort of my air conditioned house. The rest of the run was more of the same, lost of me loosing water rapidly. What started to be a 5 mile run ended up being only 3.52 miles because of the water loss. I still did pretty good and maintained a 9:02/mile pace. After cooling down I hit the shower and prepared to go to work where I only managed to do more of the same, namely, sweat my butt off. I was truly thankful when I was able to leave work and spend some much needed time with friends at Harmony Hill Winery.
For many families, autism is a hard thing to handle or even to accept. Groups like OAR and Autism Speaks are wonderful places to start learning more about autism and how families can better understand autism and how to cope with caring for someone who has autism. It is a hard thing to swallow at first, as I can attest, knowing that your child has, what some will call a disability. You want desperately for your child to be and to grow up "normal" but you get this strange diagnosis that leaves you confused about the future. There is hope and there is help. Some families go a more traditional route by using facilities like Children's Hospitals while others take a less traditional route by changing diet. There are pros and cons to each of these and neither one has proven to be 100% effective, but know that there are people who have been in a similar situation and there are people who are qualified to help you understand autism more fully.
I am thankful that Noah functions well most days, but deep down inside I still wonder about the future of this wonderful person. Will he be able to support himself? Will he be able to find someone who will understand and accept him for who he is? Will he want to have children of his own? While I may not have the answers to any of these questions, I know that for now, he is well taken care of and Tina and I are doing the best we can to help Noah strive for a bright future. If you question why your child has autism, take heart and know that you are not alone. Take some time to research autism and find groups that can help support you (mentally, physically, and emotionally). If at nothing else, contact me and I'll try to point you in a good direction.
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