Fitting for a superhero, Asher was born bright and early Thanksgiving morning, but his origin story as a hero begins much earlier. At 5 months pregnant, Asher saved the day by bringing joy into a dark time.
Sitting in the hospital with my husband Jake, waiting for surgery to remove a baseball sized tumor, that we didn’t know existed a few days earlier, from my husband's head; Asher blessed us by revealing his gender with legs spread wide on the ultrasound.
In the middle of a scary time, a hero was born (though not actually born yet). And we named him Asher - which means Happy - because he brought us so much joy. And from then on our lives we’re never the same...
Now, no superhero exists without a struggle. And for Asher that struggle came in the form of communication difficulties, sensory sensitivities, and some other challenges. As a family we all struggled for 2 years - not understanding our little hero experienced the world differently. But with the help of some special “Masters” through Early Intervention, Asher has grown tremendously and we have learned how to help our little hero become the beautifully and wonderfully made person God has created him to be!
In early April, Asher was officially diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The diagnosis didn’t come as a shock, but rather a relief. A relief that Asher would continue to get the support he needs to thrive! To be a hero!
This walk to us - is to first raise money to support other families and kids with ASD. 100% of the proceeds go to benefit Lehigh Valley families.
But I think most importantly, this walk is also to support ACCEPTANCE! There is a lot of misconceptions, misinformation and stereotypes about autism. Autism is not a disease that needs awareness - Autistics are people that need to be accepted for who they are.
True - my son is not typical. I am often told he is usually the only kid NOT crying in the nursery at church :)
No my son is unique, like every child.
I have found that when I tell others Asher has ASD, most respond, “but he’s so happy all the time.”
To which I say, “Of course! That’s his name after all!” Asher- My hero!
Would you please consider supporting Asher’s Paw Patrol inspired team? Or if you are able to - would you walk with us?
Pup Pup & Away!!!