Sunday, March 9, 2008

**a service dog for aaron**
my face of autism

this is a two page spread i made & framed for my sis a few years ago... this is one of my favorite pics of aaron walking into the water, and the quote is one that keeps my sister going from day to day.


1 in every 150 kids born this year will be diagnosed with autism. that's a staggering number. autism effects so many of us. and it has touched our family. my nephew, aaron, my sister's youngest son has autism. he just turned 7 in february. he was diagnosed when he was 2 years old. and he is smart, loving, funny, cute, and so much more. he also rarely makes eye contact, only says a few words when prompted, and has a knack for escaping.

this year, we're hoping aaron is going to be able to get a service dog. you see, aaron is a runner... an escape artist (click here for a few of his escape stories). he's fast & he's stealthy. he wears a search & rescue tracking bracelet, as well as a medical alert bracelet at all times. but often times, even this isn't enough.

the only catch is that it is pretty expensive to get a service dog. there is so much training that goes into each dog, and his dog will be trained to work with his specific needs. if you're interested in helping in any way, i know it would mean the world to my sister, to aaron & our family. you can donate right here on my blog in the side bar **make sure to add "AARON CHOLLAR" to the designation line**

click here for more information on the trainer for the service dog. most of all i ask for your prayers for aaron's continued progress & for hope. if you'd like to add the donation button to your blog, click on share then on the copy button to copy the html code for the button! thank you so much!

here's a little video i took of aaron tonight at my sister's house. he is singing head & shoulders, knees & toes... this in and of itself is a little miracle for him. it was not that long ago that aaron had NO words... and here he is SINGING!!!



{{hugs}} and much love to you & yours!

8 comments:

Laura said...

Wow! That is awesome! What a wonderful, sweet miracle!~ Your family is most definetely in our thoughts and prayers! I will go check out your links now! Thanks for sharing such an incredible story!

Kay said...

YAY for Aaron!! That is a huge step. One of my nephews also has autism. It was a big day for us when he spoke his first words. I think he was 6 and a half maybe almost 7. The most amazing this though was that he want from having less than 10 understandable(sp?) words to over 100 in less than a year! Many time once that switch flips they really take off. I hope this is also the case for Aaron.

Anonymous said...

My nephew is five and struggling to say very much. We know that he has a lot going on in his head that is just waiting to come out. Your nephew's story helps others like myself because it gives us hope for our family members with autism. Thank you for sharing!

Debbie L.

All That Chit Chat said...

Good for him! I'm a speech and language therapist and have an Intensive Preschool Program. I'm very excited to see him singing and imitating movements. Yeah!

Latrice said...

I will definitely check my bank account and see if we can help out your sister. You're a god aunt Noel. Keep up the good work.

scrappyhappy08 said...

Do they have a physical address to send donations to?? I don't have a way to pay online so if you can pm me the addy I would be glad to help! What a precious little guy!!

elizabeth kartchner said...

What a sweetie! We would love to help!

Hugs!!

bodegalee said...

That was an incredible video and Aaron, you rock! You're awesome! I'd love to get you together with my daughter who is also autistic but has this way about communicating. I HATE this disease but have to say.. for those who have it: You're incredible and defy all odds... You do things folks say never will happen (moms LOVE this) AND you truly have a unique way of communicating with those they want to most! Aaron, keep it going! You're adorable and praying that service dog becomes reality. My greatest fear of late is my dd's disappearance cause like her I suspect you love to follow whatever you see, and don't necessarily think of the consequences. Your parents are the best Aaron... they're looking at an incredible way to keep you independent!

If you want to learn more about Ellie or read some very NOT PC posts on autism, visit:

http://bodegalee-bodegalee.blogspot.com/

take good care
Leigh

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