Dear Family and Friends,
As most of you know, in September of 2003, our lives changed when we were told our son Riley might have Autism. After his diagnosis in January of 2004, our outlook on life as well as our plans for the future were altered. The changes we saw in Riley were drastic and devastating. But regardless, we continued to be grateful that we were blessed to be his parents and continued to deeply love the little boy that had now been trapped inside the world of Autism. Over the years, we have been dedicated to providing for him the best possible treatments and therapies that we felt were appropriate to insure him the best possible outcome for his life. Throughout this process we have been overwhelmed with the amount of love and generosity from our families and know that this process would not have been possible without them. Although the progress that Riley has made has been slower than we would've liked, we have continued to see how everything that has been done for him has increased his quality of life and given us a chance for momentary presence inside his world. We are grateful for every moment we can be a part of his life.
With all of the therapies and interventions that are a part of his life, Riley continues to be a very happy, smiley, giggly boy. His humming, fire engine sounds and bouncing keep us smiling! He has a very contagious laugh and you can't help but know that he truly has an angelic spirit. We feel so blessed to be lucky enough to have such a special little guy in our home. He has taught us what life is all about and we can't wait for the day in heaven where we will all be together as a family and we will hear his voice that has been trapped inside for so long!
As many of you may know, Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are on the rise and some say that it has become an epidemic. Utah is ranked 3rd in the nation for ASD's with 1 in 110 children in Utah diagnosed. 1 in 70 boys. There is no cure and no specific treatment plan for children with Autism. In Utah, insurance companies rule this disorder out as an incurable disease and Riley has been denied coverage on many procedures because of his diagnosis. We want to change this. Autism Speaks is a nationally recognized non-profit organization that is dedicated to changing the future for all those who struggle with Autism Spectrum Disorders. To find out more about them, visit http://www.autismspeaks.org/.
We have been so blessed by people in our life who have rallied to fundraise for our Walk team and extensive efforts have been given to ensure our success! "Strides for Autism" was an idea that came from my sister Camille Hoggard! She has taken on the responsibility of "Race Director" and is organizing the entire production of the race! My other sister, Michelle Wilkinson has taken on the role of "Community Development" and is responsible for all of the in-kind donations as well. Collectively as a "Brady family" everyone is working together to ensure the success of this race and Jason and I could not be more humbled or thankful for these efforts! We love you guys so much!
Please consider this your personal invitation to join with us to in the 2nd annual "Strides for Autism". We feel like this is a great way to get the family together for this cause and have a competitive event for the community to participate in! Those who are registered for the Utah Walk Now for Autism Speaks can notate their team name in their registration and 100% of the proceeds will benefit their team! This is an event for EVERYONE!
We would love to have you as part of our team, whether that is by walking with us, donating, becoming educated about Autism, or just loving Riley and every other child you know affected by autism.
Thank you so much for your continued support of Riley and our family. We are forever grateful for the prayers and feelings of love we receive from each of you! We love you so much!!!
We hope to see you on September 10th!
