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'Thank You' Doesn't Seem Like Enough, So I'll Say This Instead

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When we began our autism journey five years ago, I had no idea the dramatic impact my son’s teachers and therapists would have on our lives. All I knew back then was that I was desperate for the meltdowns to stop and to somehow find a way to reach my precious boy. When he was 2 years old and newly diagnosed, he spent most of his day in aggressive tantrums and screaming. I had no idea how to calm him or communicate with him. In the middle of the night, with tears streaming down my face, I would wonder to myself “Does he even know I love him?” I felt like a complete failure as a mother.

Autism has often been described as a “child living in his own isolated world.” And finding ways to break thorough into his world would prove to be challenging, to say the least.

Since my son’s diagnosis, I’ve been introduced to the most amazing people. Teachers and therapists who have poured their hearts and souls into my precious boy. They are the most compassionate, patient, innovative and downright brilliant people who, had it not been for autism, I most likely would have never met. They refuse to give up on my son. They tirelessly keep going and always manage to do it with a smile on their faces. They celebrate him, not just tolerate him. And that has made all the difference.

This week is teacher appreciation week, and what do you say to the people who have given you more than you could possibly put into words? The phrase “thank you” just seems too small.

Michelangelo wrote: “I saw the angel in the stone and I carved until I set him free.”

So to all the “Michelangelos” who have touched our lives over the past five years, thank you for setting my angel free.

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Originally published: May 5, 2015
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