Dear Family & Friends,
It has been almost a year and a half since we were connected with the wonderful group TACA (Talk About Curing Autism) and got our sweet Teddy started on the path to recovery from autism. Anyone who meets Teddy today has a hard time believing that at 14 months old he had completely withdrawn into himself - unable to make any attempt at communication. I feel sick inside when I think of the months Aida and I were desperately seeking help for our son and every phone call led only to year long wait lists for developmental psychologists and prominent autism centers. Those were long, dark days when my time was spent pleading with Teddy to just look me in the eye and smile (as he used to do so effortlessly) and longing to go sleep so that I could wake up to find my happy, affectionate baby boy had been magically returned to me as quickly as he had been taken away. But then the light came flooding into our lives one night when I received a return call from a TACA member who said "WE CAN HELP" - and they did.
Through TACA we were empowered to recover our son. From the second I hung up the phone with that incredible grandmother from TACA, we stopped wishing, hoping and pleading and started working on getting our son back. The first few days were spent starting the gluten-free, casein-free diet. Then came speech therapy, followed by ABA therapy, then occupational therapy - and all the homework that accompanies each of these therapies. Teddy has been the hardest working 2 year old on earth and his success cannot be denied. These days Teddy can be found singing, dancing, riding his trike, playing trains, chasing his twin sister and most importantly smiling, laughing, looking us in the eye, and, in his own words, "being silly."
We need to spread the word. We need to help families in need afford these extremely expensive, essential therapies. We need to provide a support system for parents who are struggling to find the light and feeling helpless against the seemingly impenetrable wall of autism.
We need your help to do this. Any amount of money you can give this organization is much needed and much appreciated.
We are thrilled to report that a local philanthropist was so touched by Teddy's story that he generously volunteered to match every dollar raised on this page!
In 2005, autism affected 1 in every 166, in 2007 autism affected 1 in every 150, and 2011 ...... autism currently affects 1 in every 91 children. Talk About Curing Autism supports almost 20,000 families each year at no cost to them.
How does TACA help families?
· Monthly Parent Education Meetings including up-to-date books for the resource library
· TACA Journey Guides free to all new families
· Financial Scholarships for families in need
· New Parent Seminars
· Parent Mentor Program
· Increased Autism Awareness through TACA brochures, bookmarks, participating in conferences, and distributing "My Child has Autism" cards
· TACA's amazing website including, Live Chat
· Adopt-a-Family Holiday Program
· Autism Cares TACA is a partner member, providing financial support for families during national disasters and catastrophic life events
Donating to this website is simple, fast, completely secure and 100 percent tax-deductible.
We thank you so much for your support. Please forward this to others!
LET'S ALL TALK ABOUT CURING AUTISM!!!!
NO DOUBLE TALK - JUST DOUBLE DONATIONS!!!!
Becca, Aida, Tara & Teddy