Our Story

Our son, Ethan, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of 2.

While I was on a plane coming back from a business trip, a gentleman leans over and begins talking to me about a research article he was reading about Autism. At the time, I didn’t really know what Autism was. Much less, what it looked like. Several minutes into the conversation, I felt my stomach drop and I began to sweat. He introduced himself as a neurologist and was describing to me what the symptoms of Autism are and he was sharing the devastating rise in diagnoses the previous year. What struck me in this conversation was that the symptoms he was describing for what Autism looks like (delayed speech, lack of social skills and repetitive behaviors that don’t have a function), my first and newly born son, Ethan, seemed to show. Frozen and afraid to share about my son, I simply thanked him for sharing the information and spent the rest of the flight frozen and in silence.

As I got back home, my wife and I had decided to take Ethan to be evaluated by a neurologist. The doctor ran several tests and came back with what is the most indescribable news a parent can receive. We were shocked and so scared. We were so scared. We questioned every detail of what our sons life would be like. Will he ever talk? Will he have a fulfilling social life? What will his life be like as an adult? The same questions that we’ve learned now boggle the minds of many parents like us.

Several years into therapies, sleepless nights and challenging events, we’ve decided to start Autism Rescue Mission. This foundation is the heart of every tear, every sweat and every flutter of joy in our hearts when our son does something new. Inspiration for Autism Rescue Mission came not only from seeing the behavioral challenges that we’ve experienced as a family, but the financial ones as well. We know we are not alone in any of this.

So we decided to fundraise every year to help families affected by Autism in hopes that they maybe receive the services they need and more!