The last four years have been some of the hardest our family has ever faced. We’ve been navigating the complex and often overwhelming world of finding appropriate supports for our high-needs autistic son, K.

For two years, K’s dad drove him to and from his day program—1,000 miles and nearly 20 hours of driving every single week. When K was discharged due to needs beyond the program’s ability, his dad stepped in as his full-time 1:1 support, 24/7. During this time, our family relied on my single income as a childcare provider.

We applied to 45 programs across NH, VT, ME, NY, MA, and even one in Ohio. 44 programs denied K enrollment.

Today, K is finally in a wonderful residential program in Milford, Massachusetts. We are grateful he has a place that can support him—but the transition has been incredibly hard on all of us.

K doesn’t understand why he isn’t home or why he cannot visit during the holidays. Before September, he had never spent a night away from his family except during the birth of his brothers. We are a close-knit family, and the distance has been painful.

Why We’re Asking for Help

We want to be close to K during Christmas—to spend more time with him, keep our bond strong, and help him feel secure through this confusing transition. Unfortunately, staying nearby requires hotel costs we simply can’t cover on our own right now.

We have all gifts and other holiday expenses handled, but after four years of financial strain and a single income, our savings are still recovering. We were fortunate to stay near him for a few days around Thanksgiving, but that visit used the small savings we had set aside.

Your support will go directly toward

hotel costs to stay close to K during Christmas

Allowing us to maximize family time, connection, and stability for our son during the holidays

Your help would be an incredible gift—not just to us, but to K. It would mean more face-to-face time, more reassurance, and more opportunities to keep our family connection strong during a chapter that already asks so much of him.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for supporting families like ours who are doing their best to bridge impossible gaps. Your generosity truly means the world to us.