Dear friends and supporters,

We go to you with the hope of receiving your generous support to cover the costs of autism assessment for our son Martín, who has just turned 4 and needs it urgently.

We are a Colombian family who recently settled in Canada in January 2023. We discovered that Martín presents symptoms of the autistic spectrum after enrolling in a daycare. Unfortunately, he could only attend for two weeks, since it requires additional support to carry out daily activities such as jumping, eating, dressing, and communicating clearly. This situation took us by surprise since we never imagined that our son would face rejection due to his high dependency to carry out these activities. Fortunately, we got a place in a care center that has been helpful, but associated costs are considerably high.

Our pediatrician recommended that Sunny Hill Health Center perform the necessary assessment. Unfortunately, the waiting lists in this public institution are up to 2 years, a time that we consider excessive for Martin to initiate the therapies and treatments that are required. In addition, funds assigned by the province of BC for children over 5 are increasingly limited, which drives us to look for additional resources on our own to maintain therapies.

We decided to resort to a private entity, and fortunately, we have secured a spot for assessment in January next year. However, before the evaluation, Martín must undergo exams such as Speech Language and Hearing Tests, with a total cost of approximately 5,000 CAD.

At present, our savings are limited, since we are covering expenses such as rent, groceries, daycare, gas, bill, insurance, and my wife's University. Although we both work tirelessly to meet these obligations, our income is not high enough to save and pay these assessments.

We understand that for many people collecting CAD 5,000 may seem easy, but for recent immigrants like us, starting from scratch represents a considerable challenge.

We appreciate your kind contribution in advance. Your help will allow Martin to receive an early intervention and have the opportunity to develop in a normal way, like any other child.

God bless you all!