Walk Now For Autism - South Dakota

[wheels]

Our son Logan is three years old. He has blonde hair, big green eyes
and the most adorable smile. He loves blocks, animals and sports.
Looking at Logan you would never know that he has a debilitating
disorder known as autism. Autism affects every aspect of Logan’s life…
and the lives of everyone around him. Logan has come a very long way
since his diagnosis in May. Since then, he has learned several new
words, hums many new songs, and has some highly improved attention
skills. This fall Logan has been taking a bus to school at the new
Camelot School here in Brookings. Logan enjoys riding the bus and
being able to interact with many other kids with special needs who
also attend the school. At times Logan cannot interact appropriately
with others. He has trouble processing the world around him. He has
many sensory issues that prevent him enjoying the things that we all
take for granted.
It’s hard to enough to focus on our daily lives, much less imagine
what the future holds for him; and for the rest of the family.
Melissa, who is now 14, just started her first year of high school,
and Derek, who is now just over a year old, is not exhibiting any
autistic tendencies. While this is a terribly exciting time, it’s also
frustrating because we know that boys are 4 times more likely to be
autistic than girls, and siblings of an autistic child are 3-5 times
more likely to be afflicted with an autism spectrum disorder. The
statistics are terrifying.

Autism is a complex brain disorder that often inhibits a person’s
ability to communicate, respond to their surroundings or form
relationships with others. Autism spectrum disorders affect people of
all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and occur in as many
as one in 150 births, making it more common than pediatric cancer,
diabetes, and AIDS combined. And the numbers are still rising!
Currently the cause of autism is unknown. There are no specific
medical treatments or a cure for autism. Most people with autism
require lifelong supervision and care. Only 7% of children with autism
go on to be independent. Recent studies suggest that more than 1
million Americans are living with an autism spectrum disorder. Despite
the strikingly high prevalence of autism, autism research remains one
of the lowest funded areas of medical research by both public and
private sources. But funding for research is woefully inadequate. Only
through biomedical research will we ever understand what causes autism
and develop methods to diagnose autism. Someday, with your help, we
will find a cure!
As a family, we have decided to make an effort to increase autism
awareness. This year we are participating in the Sioux Falls Walk Now
Walk for Autism. The Walk will be held at the Sioux Falls Stadium on
October 3, 2009. You can find our team website at:
http://www.walknowforautism.org/siouxfalls/wiemann/.

There are so many ways that you can help our cause. You can choose to
sponsor us in the event with a tax deductible donation, walk with us,
or choose to do both. If you would like to walk with us, let us know
and we will have a team shirt ready for you. The proceeds of the Walk
will be used to support the efforts of Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks is
the largest non-governmental supporter of autism research in the
United States. If you are interested in finding out more about them,
please check out their website www.autismspeaks.org. Please help us
raise money for this extremely important cause by increasing awareness
among your friends and coworkers. We realize that there are many
charities that vie for your attention, but any contribution, large or
small, will be greatly appreciated.
As always, thank you for your consideration, support and prayers. It
means more to us than we could possibly express. We look forward to
hearing from you!