Christmas Miracle: Single Mom with Autistic Son
Donation protected
The season of giving is upon us.
I feel like we can all get caught up in what we want for the holiday season and forget the true meaning of Christmas, giving. Truly giving with no expectation of reciprocation.
Also, I feel like our children need to to understand how to be compassionate, empathetic, and generous. They also need to understand that life isn't about toys and how much stuff you have. It's about connecting, giving, helping, being a good person, and doing the right thing; even when nobody is looking.
Chad and I felt like we wanted to take on the season with a new approach, teaching our children gratitude in the season of giving. To give back, to help someone else less fortunate, and instill these core values at a young age.
As you know, our son is on the spectrum. We know first hand how much extra all the demands of autism place on your family. It's the most rewarding thing you will ever do however at times it can be frustrating, all encompassing of your time, difficult on your family unit (80% of special needs families end in divorce), and expensive beyond what you can ever imagine or prepare for. Our therapy for Chase was over $10,000 per month for many years.
We reached out to our local church and found the perfect family. A single mom of 1 autistic son. Honestly, I do not know how she does it. She is literally asking for pajamas for herself for Christmas, that's how basic her needs are. Her son asked for about 5 gifts. That's it. It makes me want to cry. What I want to do is gift her with all of the things on her list and as much money as we can to help offset the cost for her son's care in 2020.
Please donate if you can. A lot of a little adds up to a lot! Please share this and spread this around so we can make a difference in this woman's life!
From the bottom of our hearts,
The Spence Family
I feel like we can all get caught up in what we want for the holiday season and forget the true meaning of Christmas, giving. Truly giving with no expectation of reciprocation.
Also, I feel like our children need to to understand how to be compassionate, empathetic, and generous. They also need to understand that life isn't about toys and how much stuff you have. It's about connecting, giving, helping, being a good person, and doing the right thing; even when nobody is looking.
Chad and I felt like we wanted to take on the season with a new approach, teaching our children gratitude in the season of giving. To give back, to help someone else less fortunate, and instill these core values at a young age.
As you know, our son is on the spectrum. We know first hand how much extra all the demands of autism place on your family. It's the most rewarding thing you will ever do however at times it can be frustrating, all encompassing of your time, difficult on your family unit (80% of special needs families end in divorce), and expensive beyond what you can ever imagine or prepare for. Our therapy for Chase was over $10,000 per month for many years.
We reached out to our local church and found the perfect family. A single mom of 1 autistic son. Honestly, I do not know how she does it. She is literally asking for pajamas for herself for Christmas, that's how basic her needs are. Her son asked for about 5 gifts. That's it. It makes me want to cry. What I want to do is gift her with all of the things on her list and as much money as we can to help offset the cost for her son's care in 2020.
Please donate if you can. A lot of a little adds up to a lot! Please share this and spread this around so we can make a difference in this woman's life!
From the bottom of our hearts,
The Spence Family
Organizer
Meredith Schwab Spence
Organizer
Owings Mills, MD
