April is Autism ACTION Month....Please Read

Here we are again in April. Are you aware of Autism??? If you aren't, please pull your head out of your ass! We are in the midst of a global pandemic, losing a generation of children to a devastating disability, and the numbers are only going up.

Perhaps you are aware, but do you really KNOW Autism? It's not pretty. It's not a fucking gift. It's horrendous, and it's coming soon to a family near you. My friends and family that live it every fucking day KNOW Autism. We fight for our kids with every breath....

So with this, I have declared April Autism ACTION Month. I ask everyone that reads this to get the word out to your friends that don't live it and ask to write your government representatives demanding that more attention and funding go to Autism. Not only for real studies and research (still looking for the elusive Autism gene, aren't they??) but for real help NOW! Stop cutting and start funding services for children and adults living with this. Start mandating ALL insurance companies to cover ALL therapies and treatments, including biomedical interventions such as supplementation, help with special diets, HBOT, and IVIG, and preventing wandering, which most often, kills children with Autism. Flood their mailboxes, inboxes, and voice mails. America has forgotten the they work for us.....

You see, I am very aware of Autism. If you know me, you are too. The problem is the Powers That Be are not apparently not very aware.....they need to wake the fuck up. Let's shove some awareness in their faces and demand they take action.

The future of our country and our children depend on it.....

So…who cares?
It is a harsh but true statement. No one gives a shit about children with Autism. No one with any power, anyway. States are slashing funding for services at a rapid pace. “Advocacy” groups that are supposed to help are doing nothing but cashing checks and spending money on astronomical salaries and expensive office buildings. Doctors and researchers that are trying to get to the bottom of the issue and truly HELP these kids are being slandered and hung out to dry to make a point….bang the drum and don’t step out of line. Look what happens to you when you do. Insurance companies won’t pay for necessary therapies or labs looking at the underlying medical conditions that exist in these children. These kids are sick, and no one is doing a thing about it. No one gives a shit.
Now, the Supreme Court has ruled in a 6 to 2 decision that Big pHARMa has absolutely no liability for adverse reactions to vaccines, and can’t be sued outside of the Vaccine Court. Mind you, the vaccine court is funded by a 0.75 cents tax on each individual vaccine sold. The taxpayers of this country fund it…not a dime from the vaccine industry. So, vaccine makers have absolutely no responsibility. How much do you think they will spend on safety tests, research, and good science since they have a “Get Out Of Jail Free” card with no expiration date on it?? My guess…not so much considering they didn’t do it before.
If the Supreme Court decided Toyota had no liability for their vehicle safety and folks were getting in horrible crashes, being disabled for life needing tons of therapy that is not covered by insurance, would you buy a Toyota?? Think about it….
It’s a crazy fucking world when you have more recourse if you are hurt when a microwave explodes than if you are hurt from getting a shot.
You see, the FDA doesn’t test all drugs and vaccines on the market. “FDA Approved” means nothing. Drug companies fund much of their own research with high paid scientists and present the findings to the FDA for approval.
They force you to vaccinate with crap that isn’t tested with unbiased science, don’t let you hold Pharma liable if something happens, and then won’t pay for the treatments they need because of the damage. And please know…it’s not only about Autism. ANY adverse effects to ANYONE. A flu shot. The Gardasil they are pushing on preteen girls AND BOYS, the chicken pox booster your kid gets…not of it. You are shit outta luck. Buyer Beware.
You see, this head in the sand shit isn’t working. The tsunami is coming. The first wave of the children living with autism is aging out and headed for society…a society ill equipped to care for them. And this is only the first wave. What do you think is going to happen when the kids today (1 in 91) turn 18??? Where will they go? Who will care for them after we are gone? If no one cares about them when they are sweet, innocent children who is gonna give a crap about them when they are adults?? The world better get in the fucking game, because it’s coming….
But you see, the powers that be don’t realize some very important things while declaring this war against people with Autism and related disabilities. They can’t fight for themselves, so the parents have to. We are Warriors. We are tenacious. We are fucking furious. We are strong. We are united. We will fight to the death for our kids. We don’t take no for an answer. We are growing in numbers. We battle autism every damn day. We DO have a voice, and the folks in charge WILL hear it. And if they aren’t listening, we’ll scream louder.

In the words of The Good Dr. Andrew Wakefield, “These children aren’t going away. Their parents aren’t going away. And I’m not going away.”

How long can you ignore the big pink elephant in the room?? Because he’s getting really pissed and is about to start trashing the joint…..

Disgustipated.....

I can't shake how I'm feeling the past few weeks. Just so damn BLAH! I'm not usually one to slip into these states, but the recent events in the media have really taken a toll on me. Funny because it shouldn't. Nothing has changed. Life is the same in my house, your house, our friend's homes. Autism still rears it's ugly head. But this is more than that. I hate feeling this way....and I can't even describe the way I feel.

I feel dismissed. I am tired. I'm pissed off. I'm broke. Frustrated. I feel like the world thinks we are insane.

Every frigging day I add another new Facebook friend. Another parent (usually a Mom) who is struggling like the rest of us. Every damn day, I see another bunch of Autism Awareness stickers at stop lights and supermarket parking lots. Every single day someone makes a comment about my stickers, or my license plate, or my necklace. My heart is broken for them all. The checker in Publix the other day who has a brother with Autism. Or the woman Marshall's that has a granddaughter just diagnosed. Or the young girl at therapy who hasn't got a diagnosis yet for her little guy, but knows the drill already. For my crew of girlfriends here on The Treasure Coast. Women that I could never imagine life without. Some of the strongest gals I know. For my incredible Facebook family. A group of people I have never met, but am so connected with on so many levels, it's scary. You folks are what keep my head above water. Because you LIVE it. I have often said, "You don't really "get it" unless you've got it."

It's obviously not just me. We are all feeling down lately. By simply dismissing the Autism/Vaccine connection, the mainstream has, in essence, dismissed us....dismissed our children. I, for one, am not having that shit. Fuck the herd. Our children are not Collateral Damage. I know it is this funk that drives us, but dam it all to hell....I hate it. I completely fucking hate it. Our kids deserve better.

They Gave Galileo A World of Shit, too....

I've been slacking on the blog, to say the least. Last post August. I'm going to try and be better about it. Life happens ;)

That said, I felt like logging in today to reflect on something I experienced last night. The past week has been rough. If you haven't heard, vaccines don't cause Autism! They are totally safe!! Anderson Cooper and CNN said so! Isn't that great news?? Hmmmm....ya don't say???

Bullshit. Pure and simple. I believe Dr. Wakefield and stand by him 110%. And I'm not the only one. There is an army of doctors, researchers, and parents who believe him to. To see the list of studies that back up Dr. Wakefield's findings see here (http://www.ageofautism.com/2010/05/peer-reviewed-papers-support-findings.html). He has lost everything because of this...his country, his medical license to practice, his job, and his good name. Dr. Wakefield has no children with Autism. He could have walked away from this shit a long time ago. But he didn't. He won't. Because it is the right thing to do. I have had the opportunity to meet the man himself on a few occasions and really talk with him. Not a quick handshake and photo op. Really talk. He is an incredible man. He will be vindicated of this. The Truth can't be hidden forever. To read Dr. Wakefield's statement on recent claims, see here (http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ageofautism.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fbreaking-news-statement-from-dr-andrew-wakefield-no-fraud-no-hoax-no-profit-motive.html&h=695b1)




Soooooo.....last night there was a Town Hall Lecture in Tradition (a town in the county north of me) given by one of the local pediatricians and a researcher entitled "Do Vaccines Cause Autism? Or Just Fear?" Brought to you by Martin Memorial Health Systems and the Vaccine & Gene Therapy Institute of Florida. Yeah, I already know what I'm in for on this one. We actually heard about it a few weeks back, before the most recent wave of Wakefield bashing, and I was worried about going and then needing bail money. After this week's media assault, I knew it would be a Big Pharma pep rally, but my friends and I decided we would go. We had to go.

It was EXACTLY what we had expected. The majority of the audience were obviously VGTI employees. Patting each other on the back and pulling each other's peckers. They even served food and drinks. No Kool-Aid for me, thanks. I'll have a Heineken Light bottle.

We sat through slides and presentations by Dr. Rafick-Pierre Sékaly, co-director and scientific director of VGTI Florida and Dr. Michael Jampol, a local pediatrician. Each one made my blood boil a bit more. It killed me to sit there and listen to the bullshit (I'm allergic, ya know). Comments included "ignorant", "uneducated", "attending The Jenny McCarthy School of Google", as well as making snide comments about Great Plains Laboratory.

As soon as we questioned the presentation, Dr. Jampol cuts me off and says, "Well obviously you have your mind made up on this issue" with a smug ass attitude. I snapped back, "As do you!" No sooner, they had to wrap it up. Of course they did....

We spoke to a woman from a local paper and made our point. We are not psycho anti-vaxers. We are not ignorant or uneducated. We want a "Safety First" protocol when it comes to vaccinating OUR children. Clean that shit up and spread them out. Too much, too soon. It is NOT a one size fits all scenario. The studies HAVE been replicated. These children are in fact, sick. Not sick from a "psychiatric disorder" according to the DSM. They are suffering from gut inflammation, oxidative stress, food absorption issues, allergies, seizures, and a host of other ailments that are going ignored by mainstream medicine.

If you don't listen to us when we shout, we will shout louder.

"These children aren't going away. Their parents are not going away. And I'm not going away" AJW

Getting Away Is Always Bitter Sweet...

I know I am not the only one that experiences this battle of feelings. When I am going through the motions of every day, I look forward to my chance to get away. When it happens, I miss them terribly and feel so bad....

Got a chance to go to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, FL with a few girlfriends this week. I was looking forward to it for months. My mom got into town and off I went, only to feel so bad while I was gone. My guys can be tough, and spent the days testing limits and hazing poor Grandma. I was hoping to hit big and be able to send her away to the Bahamas for a few days to recooperate ;) I am so grateful to have her here and get these chances to escape reality for a few days...

I had a blast! Relaxed by the pool, played cards until the wee hours of the morning, ate & drank for free and won enough money to fund the whole trip! To me, that is a win!! If you can leave a casino after three days completely even, you won big!! I took pics of every guitar, hat, shoe, and outfit in the place! A music junkie's paradise!! Where else can you get in the elevator and hear Soundgarden?? We also met Ponch AKA Erik Estrada :) Still looks good for being 61!

All in all, a great time. I missed they boys terribly but am already looking forward to the next chance I can sneek away ;) Vicious cycle.....

Autism Mothers ROCK!!

Last week, a good friend of mine pulled off a photo shoot in a few hours, as the deadline for photo submission was two days later (nothing like the last minute!)

The Autism File magazine was taking picture submissions for a calender they are putting together. The concept is capturing images of strong mothers of children with autism from around the world. A text saying meet at House of Refuge with a black dress and attitude was sent out and nine hours later, we were together. What a blast!!! Some of my favorite gals, a few bottles of wine, a great location, and perfect lighting all came together to make one great photo! I don't even care if it makes it into the calender...I am just so happy to have it for the memories :) Love You Ladies!!!!

SFA Cocoa Beach Adventure...

Well, I have fallen off the blog scene in the past few weeks, so today I play a little catch up :)

SFA Cocoa beach was fun! I got to hang with some cool Moms and the kids had fun, although they hardly surfer...they were OBSESSED with the hotel's Pirate Pool. I decided to pick my battles and skip the waves...it was their weekend and if they wanted to run around in two feet of water all day, so be it!

Funny story, they played Friday night until about 10:30 pm, woke up the next morning begging for the pool. We hit the beach, they pouted, and I gave in. We headed back to the pool to find it closed!! OMG...EMERGENCY!!! I called and started to complain to the front desk and found out that someone pooped in the kiddie pool the night before (as they are pumping that water into the pool right where our kids were playing....) EWWWWWW!!! As this is happening, there is a mass baptism of about 50 people in blue tshirts occurring in the hotel pool...seriously?? You can't write this shit ;)

Aside from all of this, we had a blast!! Hung out with great people, had some drinks and laughs, and made some good memories <3 SFA pulled off another stellar event xoxo

I found out a week later that I have a fairy godmother that called ahead and treated us to our room!! I have since found out who it was, and a million thanks to that great gal!! What a wonderful surprise <3