So, what did you do on your birthday this year? I walked a 5 k with thousands of others to raise awareness and funds for autism research. Our family has participated every year since the beginning of the EAC in 2018 and this year it fell on Ben and my birthday (we share our birthday as he was my special gift being born on May 20th just like me).
Ben has raised over $100,000 over the past 6 years and we are so grateful that every dollar earned by the participants is used to fund novel research around autism.
When Ben was first diagnosed, I spent a lot of time and energy, trying to figure out why he had autism. I realized that question was not going to have an answer and decided to shift my energy into giving back to help others on their journeys. Participating in research was one of the ways we found to give back and Ben has participated on 9 research studies at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the very hospital that diagnosed him in 2000.
Ben has done everything from medication studies to eye tracking to even having a functional MRI done to see how his brain responded during tasks. During this particular study Ben was having a hard time staying still as he is always on the move. He knew that it was important for him to lay still to get clear pictures so he came up with his own solution.
"Can you duct tape my feet together to keep me still?"
To which the technician replied
"Nope! There is metal in duct tape and it will mess up the machine."
Ben stepped up and completed the test and was proud of his accomplishment.
To the Philadelphia Eagles and Jeff Lurie, THANK YOU for using your platform to raise awareness around autism and taking awareness to action!
On the way to the event Ben was thrilled to look up on Route 309 and see this wonderful billboard made by Keystone Outdoor Advertising as a surprise for his 25th birthday!
We are so grateful for all of the people in Ben's life that are working together to made a difference in the lives of people with autism.
Love you more,
Mom
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