In September of 2010 our youngest daughter Avery Grace was diagnosed officially with being on the Autism spectrum. We have been on this journey now for 1.5 years and I am proud to say she has made great progress. While she is still considered non-verbal she has made great strides in using an IPad as a communication device.   Recently she has been letting us know what she wants for meals, when she wants more of something and if she needs a sensory break with her device. She has more spontaneous words than ever before. Since starting preschool last summer she has gone from working one on one with a teacher/therapist for only 2 minutes at a time to working for as long as 15 minutes!

While she has made great strides in the last year she still has a very long way to go. As her parents we are working with her everyday with her therapists and teacher to bring her out of her little world.

In order to help others who face that daunting challenge this year I am raising money for Autism research while training again to run the 2012 Chicago Marathon. Please accept the challenge and help me raise money in the fight for research to help children with Autism.

With much gratitude,

The Martin Family