Please help one of our own.

Mary Blend (Ward) was born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado, and lived here until she joined the Navy right out of high school. She graduated from Central High School in 2010 and was a very active member of the Pueblo community.

On Monday, September 16th, Mary's 9-year-old son, Myles, was killed in a horrific traffic accident. Myles was an incredible kiddo who loved cars, Play-Doh, putty, and going to the grocery store. He especially liked acting out cartoons and Disney scenes. His favorite thing to do was run and play tag. He was also autistic. Due to his autism, the danger of traffic and being out in the road was something he did not understand. He had a tendency to escape and run from the house from time to time. To him, this was a game. His mother, Mary, had done everything in her power to avoid this happening—locks, alarms, etc. She is a single parent, retired Navy veteran who is solely responsible for Myles and his 7-year-old sister, Aariana, who is also autistic. She did everything in her power to keep her children safe every day. On this particular morning, he quietly escaped the home, ended up on the highway, and was struck by a vehicle.

They are beyond devastated and in an unbelievable amount of pain. The family was already in the midst of remembering and mourning the loss of their Uncle Joe, who died in the 9/11 attacks, and this has added to their pain in an unbelievable way. Nobody ever expects to lose a child; nobody plans for this. Being a single parent to two amazing kiddos with high needs, funds are scarce. We would love to have help supporting Mary and Aariana with planning services for Myles and taking care of them in this time of need while they cope with this tragedy. Any help at all will be greatly appreciated.