CARE Program Outcomes - Dennis Sanders

Reprinted with permission from Danielle and Dennis Sanders

Dennis with Mom and Dad Our son Dennis, or Bubba as we call him, was diagnosed with autism on January 24, 2007 at 4 years old. We were stunned, we knew he was unique in every way, but we just couldn't wrap our minds around the fact that he had this disorder. We just couldn't see where this fit him. It took a year and a second confirmation of his diagnosis, the final as PDD-NOS, to fully understand, yes, our son has autism. When we were in denial, we would read the list of symptoms and say "well he does that sometimes, but not a lot" or "he plays with other kids" even though he didn't really play with them, he played beside them. We thought that just because he didn't fit every symptom, or have the severity that some associate with autism, that he couldn't have autism. No one took the time to explain that when you meet one child with autism, you have met ONE child with autism. Every child is unique. We wasted a lot of precious time in denial. Now we are fully aware of what his diagnosis means and that he can have a normal life it will just take time and determination.

In the last few months we have started to become more involved in the community to Dennis try to find more resources for Dennis. Unfortunately, there just aren't enough. What little services we can get from the schools, we have had to fight for. Early intervention is the key in helping our kids be able to lead a normal life. That is why my husband and I got involved with Heartspring. We found out about Heartspring through their website which was announcing a workshop for parents of children with autism. We went to that meeting and we left feeling inspired. We had found a home. We met alot of families just like us, who were looking for a place to come and feel hopeful for the future. A place where autism is not a tragedy, but simply an obstacle that with help, we can overcome.

Although our son does not receive services from Heartspring, we still wanted to become involved in the Autism CARE Walk. We believe that all children, not just our own, should have access to services that are life changing for the children and their families. We have been blessed with two successful businesses and we are fortunate to be able to afford most of what autism has cost us, but we realize that most families are not as fortunate. That is why we worked so hard to try to reach our goal of $10,000 for the CARE Walk. So that no child will have to go without services because of waiting lists or money. Although we did not reach our goal I feel like we were successful in so many other ways. Each person that I spoke with would ask me "what is autism" or "how did you know something was wrong?" And each answer I gave was raising awareness of autism.

We all had a great time at the Heartspring Autism CARE Walk and we are already making plans to make next years goal even bigger!

Danielle and Dennis Sanders
Owners of Car-Smart Used Cars, LLC

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