Life Saving Chance for Our Autistic Son

We are the family of William (his parents and two siblings). William has high functioning autism ( formerly known as Asperger's). On top of this he also suffers significant anxiety and depression. He struggles socially and in large settings.  He has been misdiagnosed his entire life up until the end of middle school, when he was hospitalized for self-injurious behaviors. Since then we have been trying to cope with all of these things.  He is medicated and in therapy, but going to high school is a HUGE issue for him.  For as smart as he is he cannot keep friends. Other students make fun of him and he feels "tortured" on a day to day basis.  He is afraid and hates walking in the halls. It is a fight to get him to school and he often spends most of his days isolated in an administrative office as he is unable to go to class. William does not feel that he can continue in this manner and does not want to return to his high school next year. 

We have found a program that will allow him to complete his senior year of high school while living and working on a tall ship and traveling the world. While this will be an amazing experience, it will also be a lot of responsibility and work. We do not know if this is the answer, but we know that we need to make a change. William will be one of 64 students embarking on this once-in-a-lifetime journey. For them, this is an experience, for him, it might just save his life!

It breaks our hearts because William is funny and smart and loves learning new things. He wants to go to college to study marine biology and hope to save the Great Barrier Reef. His struggles in a traditional high school setting have destroyed his confidence and self-worth. But now  he has an amazing opportunity to finish his last year of high school on a boat traveling the world. Please help us make Will’s dreams a reality.