Autism Dog for Ben

Hi, 

Some of the scarring on Bens arm from scratching and self harm. 



I know that no one wants to part with their hard earned cash, I totally understand that, but here I am anyway putting on my begging hat.
However, it's not for me, but a very special young man whom I love more than the very air I breathe. 
Ben is my Comedy and laughter in life. He tries so hard to see the best in everything and to understand how every tiny molecule of the world works.  Yet, there is so many things that are beyond his understanding. 
Ben has Autism, and in our family we have a mantra. 
It is that "Autism is Awesome." 
It does not mean that you are bad, that when you cant cope any more and you melt down and end up in a puddle on the floor screaming and crying that what you are doing is wrong. 
It means, that you are different, that you see the world in a different way and that is what makes it awesome. Because, lets face it. if we were all the same. the world would be a very boring place. 
Ben is now 11 years old and will be 12 in Aug.  We have looked into getting him an assistant dog for several years now, but unfortunatly the demand is so high, that we could not even get on the waiting list. 
If you have the time, and are still reading I will tell you a little more about Ben. 
He is wonderful.
That is the first and most important thing. He is also very special. 
However, Ben has a lot of aniexty and stress. This causes him to self harm. 
He has scars up and down his arms where he has scratched and picked himself from his anixety.  He figets to the point that he destroys furniture and chews his clothes full of holes, then he becomes so upset because he has done something that he sees as "bad".
A autism dog, will help Ben with all of this. It will help him through play and therapy to redirect his stress into possitive behaviour. 
Ben flaps! oh my gosh how he flaps.  He is like a whirl wind. Another reason we need a specially trained dog to help him. He also has no sense of danger and will walk into traffic without even thinking about the danger. 
Sadly, because Ben is physically able, he is not eligble for a Blue badge, thus making it even more dangerous taking him out in public. 
I could write a book, on all of his foibles and I am more than willing to share loads of stories for anyone interested.  
But, i have a feeling you would be bored to tears soon! 

I can not explain with words how grateful we would be for any help that anyone can give. 

The sooner we can raise the money for Ben's Therapy dog, the sooner we can help him learn to cope with his aniexty and learn to be more independent and learn the social skills he so desperatly needs to survive in the crazy world that we live in. 
All the money raised will be put foward to Ben and his dog.  
Again, thank you for even reading this, and if you are able to contribute, my eternal grattitude is not enough. 
I am a mom who loves her kids... and wants them to be happy. can you help us make that come true?