My friend Jenny is an amazing person. I have known her since college and we have always laughed together and gotten into heaps of trouble together. Almost 4 years ago, she had a sweet little boy named Cody. He was born very healthy and developed well, even above average. When he was 18 months old, they started to notice him withdrawing, not using eye contact and losing most of his vocabulary. Soon after he was diagnosed with austism. And that's when Jenny became my hero.
She started her fight for his cause right away; taking him to therapy sessions and groups. The state paid for his therapy until he turned 3, and then they asked that he go to pre-school. Though it was difficult to let her baby go, she had him attend the local preschool and was assured that his development would blossom. It didn't.
Cody began to regress after being put in a room full of autistic children. He would mimic their ticks and withdrew all the more. After 2 years of following government protocol on the treatment of her son, he had not improved and she was at her witt's end. And then the Lord stepped in.
Jenny's friend Lourie discovered a new type of program. The Sonrise Program was a different approach to the treatment of autism. It used methods that were different, and sometimes contradictory of government programs. By having volunteers come into a safe playroom with just the child and the volunteer interacting one-on-one, it helps develop their eye contact, speech and social skills. It has actually helped CURE many of it's members and has drastically improved many more.
In February, Jenny and her husband David were able to go to the autism treatment center in Massachussettes where they began to work through their emotions about their son, and learned how to begin to help him. They sectioned off a room in their home dedicated to Cody's treatment and began to look for volunteers who were willing to help SAVE him. Already, in just the few short months he has begun the program, Cody has improved. They have a few volunteers, but they need many more.
It's still difficult for Jenny when she has to go to the grocery store, or the post office; every public place is a struggle. Because people do not understand autism , they don't have much patience for Cody. But still she fights (like any mama-bear would) for her baby and she has hope that one day Cody will be cured.
This is Cody:
He is the reason why his mama fights everyday.
He is the reason why I am writing this blog.
He has changed my life, and I KNOW he would change yours.
If you can help his cause in anyway, through volunteering for his program, or helping with his fundraising, please do. I promise that you will not be sorry.
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