Healing for Emily

You can’t know Emily without falling in love with her. She has a sense of humor and quick wit like no one else I’ve met. She is beautiful, passionate, funny and talented. I guess I’m a little biased because I’m her mom. Emily is also on the autism spectrum and suffers with major depressive disorder. She told me Monday that she had flushed all her medications, did not want to talk to a therapist or psychiatrist anymore and that she just wanted to be dead.  Her words came from a place of despondence and hopelessness I’ve never seen in her.  Major depressive disorder is hard to deal with in the first place. Add autism on top of that and it’s a nightmare because people on the spectrum can’t relate to the world, or therapy, or medications like a normal person would.

She was admitted to a hospital in Richardson for 72 hour psyche stabilization while we find a long-term residential treatment facility. There are not many facilities that do residential treatment for young adults on the autism spectrum, with a dual diagnosis of MDD, and who accept our insurance. No facilities near us.  We found one that meets all those criteria near Knoxville, Tennessee. 

This situation has taken us by surprise at a particularly bad time. Emily will be discharged from the hospital Saturday. We need to leave for TN on Sunday. We have to pay a $3800 deposit when we get there, I need to buy some cold weather clothes for her sinceTennessee’s falls and winters are colder than in Texas. We will also have travel expenses to get her there. Tomorrow is Friday. I’m scared I can’t round up the extra we need in time.

We would be so grateful for your help.

Sincerely,

Amy Wilson