Thank you for visiting my fundraising page.  The young man in the picture is named Kepler, and he is the son of my cousin Amy.  Kep is 9 years old and was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3.  I'm coming up on my fourth marathon and running this one in his honor.  I'd tell you a bit more about Kepler, but I thought it might be best to share with you his mother's words:

"It is impossible to express to someone what it is like to live with a child with autism.  It not only affects your relationship with that child, it affects every aspect of life.  In families with autism, the divorce rate is about 80%.   Autism is a huge financial burden.  Not only are the therapies expensive and generally not covered by insurance, but often only one parent can work as the other takes on the responsibility of caring for the child and running that child all over for different treatments.  Autism also affects the relationship you have with your other children.  My daughter Bethany does not get nearly enough of my time and we both feel the weight of that.  Autism touches everything that I do during the day, from what groceries I buy (lots of allergies) to how I clean the house (not regular enough) to how I relax (by putting alarms on all of the windows and doors), to how many friends I have (not many), to when I sleep (not often) to what my hobbies are (nothing that can be easily destroyed), to basic living arrangements (tiny townhouse).  There are times when it is so overwhelming that I just have to stay in bed and cry.  There are also moments of great joy, like when Kep said Mama for the very first time.  I certainly do not take any beautiful moment for granted.  I have also learned to trust myself more and to question people in positions of authority.  Doctors, teachers and therapists do not always know what is best for my child, but I do.  I am the expert when it comes to Kep and I have learned to trust my instincts.  I truly am very passionate about this subject and I spend lots of time helping other parents, as well as teaching adults and children about autism."

Thanks for taking the time to learn a little about Kepler.  Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to my fundraising efforts. Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!