In the beginning, the diagnosis nearly broke us…but time showed us that we’re in fact the lucky ones!

When Lincoln was 18 months old he had a severe reaction to amoxicillin which hospitalized him. After his reaction, we noticed that his sweet voice was gone - all the words that he knew disappeared. We went to several specialists, doctors and speech therapists and each one told us, "he's an only child - he'll talk when he's ready." We knew in our hearts something was wrong.

March 2020 we took him to one more specialist and what we found out nearly broke us. Lincoln was diagnosed with Level 2 Autism. That night we mourned what could have been - what should have been. The next day I put my big girl pants on and called every autism clinic within 60 miles and got him on every waiting-list.

Fast forward to today, Lincoln is doing 30 hours of ABA therapy (Applied Behavioral Analysis), 1 hour of Speech Therapy, 1 hour of Occupational Therapy and school. He works harder than most people I know. He has made such huge strides - even calling me mama for the first time since he was a baby (insert waterworks).

We have kept Lincoln's diagnosis quiet for the past two years. Not because we were embarrassed but because we wanted Lincoln to tell his own story one day. Since he still can't tell his story, we've decided to share it in hopes to spread awareness and acceptance.

This year for Lincoln's Way we are donating a portion of the proceeds to Lincoln's ABA clinic, to gift them new OT equipment / therapy materials. We have also partnered with a local foundation called The Autism Collective. The Autism Collective coordinates early identification, diagnosis, therapy, services and support. They not only serve children but also adults as they connect individuals to the local resources they need to thrive in our community. We hope in the future that Lincoln's Way can raise enough money to send a child to ABA Therapy for an entire year. We are so fortunate that we are able to send Lincoln and hope we can help another family with this amazing therapy.

Autism does not define Lincoln but it is a part of who he is and we wouldn't change him for the world.