Hope for Grayson

The ravages of autism have touched our family . . . twice. And we know we are not the only family who is suffering with this disorder. Our oldest grandson is 9 and he is a joy, although he has his difficulties, for sure. He is unable to attend school but is higher functioning than our youngest grandson, who is severely autistic. The youngest is the reason for this GoFundME.

His name is Grayson. And he is a beautiful child. No, he is not dying. But he is not "living," either. His struggles are immense and there seems to be no help that has had any substantial effect on him. He is 3 years old, about 50 lbs and tormented. He doesn't respond to his name or much else said to him. He fights like a tiger all diaper changes and just getting dressed. He will not keep shoes on - if you are lucky enough to even get them on him. He will strip his clothes off at first opportunity. No matter what we clothe him in, every time he poops he gets into it if we are not right there when it happens, and it is easier to shower him than to attempt to use wipes for a diaper change. He has dwindled his food choices down to next to nothing. He will vomit at the smell and/or texture of many foods. He wakes up in the middle of the night for 2-5 hours or more screaming (daughter hasn't slept for so long she can't remember what it feels like). Then he gets so frustrated (because he is nonverbal and cannot communicate) that he just punches himself in the face or pounds his legs. He bangs his head so hard on floors, walls, or anything, it scares us. Helmets send him into complete melt downs/violent outbursts and that is if we can keep them on him. Needless to say, he is bruised, and to look at him just breaks your heart, let alone to see it happening. This self harm is the worst aspect to deal with. And it’s exhausting. My daughter is physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. She has two other boys in between the two autistic ones who suffer in that it’s difficult to give them the attention they need amid all the chaos. The only thing we can get from the medical field is to drug Grayson. And maybe we are very close to caving in on that for the sake of everyone’s sanity, but we feel that is a last resort. As he cannot be left alone in a room for more than a minute, it is to the point that my daughter is having to choose between working and staying home and caring for him 24/7 as there is no affordable help with his many challenges. And we are too old to be enough help.

We were alerted to a practice that not only gives us hope for his future, but his immediate future, as it brings about results fast, which would enable my daughter to keep her job, which she needs to provide for these children. This is what this GoFundMe is for. This place is in St. Louis and works with energy and frequencies, amongst other modalities, and has had dramatic success with autistic children in a short amount of time. They also treat many other conditions. Someone close to us went there recently and had her life changed immeasurably almost instantly by these methods. Not a complete cure (and we don't expect that) but if they can change ANY aspect of what this child is going through, make any of it less intense, provide any relief, or give him some peace, we will be so grateful! The treatment is for 3 days, an 8-hour session each day (with breaks), with follow up by Skype if we need to consult. And the cost is about $7,000. That doesn’t include getting there and accommodation/meals. We are desperate to get him some real help as soon as is humanly possible. So we are putting this GoFundMe out there to see if anyone is moved to be a part of this, however small. And if not, prayers are always really, really appreciated!

Bless you and thank you for reading this,

Melvin and Diane Rhodes