Thank you for visiting my donation page.

I've been a board member at Nupath for over 10 years, currently serving as Board Chairman.

I learned about Nupath through my job in Banking as we support local businesses in the community and I had an opportunity to learn more about their mission which gave me the chance to get involved here.

I am also a father, and I recently moved my daughter into her second apartment since returning from Colorado. My daughter Madison is an alumnus of the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU). Looking back, I wasn’t sure I wanted her journey to take her as far away as Colorado, but I am beyond proud of her. She was the second to leave the nest for school but the first to attend college and graduate.

As I reminisce about my journey as a parent, I think back to the beginning ….

The moment you first hold your new baby; you dream of all the amazing things he/she will do with his/her life.

This beautiful new being is so full of possibility- the sky is the limit, their potential endless.

And suddenly, in the blink of an eye, your sweet bundle of joy is in kindergarten, getting her driver’s license, attending her senior prom, college, graduation, and her first job!

Watching her grow more independent, becoming her own person … she’s driven, feist with a dry sense of humor. I see a lot of myself in her and cannot be prouder of her choices.

Something else I want to share; Madison is my youngest. My oldest Michaela has had and has taken me on a very different journey.

In the beginning, it was what I was expecting – happy baby, first milestones, but then something shifted. There was regression, behavior issues, doctors’ appointments, specialists, terms and words I had not heard of or been prepared for.

When Michaela was 20 months old, her mother and I were told she had Autism – ASD.

So, the journey I was not quite prepared for, began.

Fast forward 27 years, I am a single parent, empty nester, with a young adult daughter with Autism.

I used to put my daughter in a white van every Monday morning as she attended a school on the south shore where she lived Monday through Friday. She was not always excited about heading off to school, as transitioning is hard for her. I would tell her, “See you Friday” and after a little prompting I would receive, “Bye Daddy”. I waved goodbye as the bus pulled away, but she never waved back.

Michaela attended a residential and day program where she was provided support to achieve more independent skills, learning, working, taking part in community activities while living in a caring, safe, and engaging environment.

Michaela was my first to leave the nest. She has been in a residential placement since age 14, but there were no college applications, no FAFSA forms to fill out, and she was not involved in the decision process. Schools and programs were visited, and decisions were made on her behalf, then and now as her guardian.

If you are a single father/mother of a child with Autism who is the primary caregiver, I applaud you. For those that have stayed together to face this adventure, you should be revered.

But here I am.

# I GOT THIS!

For both my girls … The constant is, I love you. I will always be your father, your advocate, your biggest fan. I will be there for whatever you may need along your own adventure. Be Happy, Be safe, Be in each other’s thoughts.

Different needs, Different paths, for Different daughters …. evolving Dad.

Tricia, you are my love, my happiness, and thank you for being there on this adventure as we take on life’s journey together.

Thank you Nupath for providing me with the support and outlet I have needed over the last 10 years.

To All. I appreciate that you have visited my page and are supporting my fund-raising efforts!

Thank you …. Michael Rossetti

Board Chair and a father supporting a daughter’s life journey with autism.