Once upon a time,

there was a beautiful couple. They were good people and they looked toward the future with bright eyes.

They had three babies. Three bright eyed beautiful girls.

One by one, the brightness in the eyes of their beautiful girls began to fade.

The mommy and the daddy were very worried.

The doctors said, "Wait and see."

But the mommy was not one to wait. Not when it came to her babies.

She got busy.

She did her own research.

She learned about autism.

She started writing about it and in the process learned a whole lot more.

She began an internet group, bringing many parents together to network and brainstorm on ways to help their kids.

A teacher to her core, she began speaking about autism.

Through her efforts, countless children were helped.

But then...the daddy lost his job.

Autism is expensive. For this family, expensive times three. All three beautiful girls are severely effected.

They had to give up the lovely home they'd worked so hard to get.

They had to live with her parents for over a year. Not an easy feat, even with the best family relationships.

But the beautiful couple stayed strong.

Eventually he found another job. A good one that allowed him to work from home and help the mommy with the beautiful girls.

They got back on their feet.

The girls began to thrive in their new schools.

The beautiful couple could breathe again.

But last week, this hardworking dad got laid off once again.

The beautiful mommy who is so strong, well....her back is starting to buckle.
Today her eyes are not bright. Her eyes are tired and red.

Autism costs a lot of money. For this family, that's times three.

"Can we set up a fund raiser for you? Will you let us help? Will it hurt your pride?"

"We are a breath away from becoming squatters in the house we're currently renting. I'm over pride."

Still, it is so hard for her to accept help. Let me rephrase that. Still, it's like pulling teeth to get her to agree to any help at all!

I've resorted to citing examples from the books Why Good Things Happen to Good People and Molecules of Emotion, describing to her how, by allowing people to help, she is actually improving their health. Happy chemicals will be released in their bodies!

This is a dad who is a good provider. He has worked his ass off to support his girls. The financial burden of autism is like a high interest credit card with a huge balance(minus the new wardrobe and fancy toys). You just can't climb out of it. The kid's needs are endless and ever growing and medical insurance won't cover jack. Multiply that times three. This is a mom who is the first one to offer help to anyone in need. The first one.

There's no denying the contribution Kim has made to the autism community. She's raised awareness and is a relentless advocate for many children with autism, not just her own.

Friends, our sister is tired and she needs some help.

I can't convince her to accept cash via paypal, but she has reluctantly agreed to accept gift cards. She can order most of the gluten free/casein free food her girls need through Amazon. She can purchase most everything else they need at Target.

If you would like to help by sending an e-gift card, click on one of the above links and use this e-mail address:

KimStagliano

@

gmail.com

Thank you so much for your generosity.

Psst....hurry, before she changes her mind.

And enjoy those helper chemicals!

* all photos stolen from Kim's blog.