CHRISTMAS LETTER

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year    2005

Dear Family and Friends:

Here’s hoping this finds you all happy and healthy this

 HolidaySeason.

2005 has been an especially difficult year around our house.

In March Dakota graduated from the U.C.D.D. program @Cal State San Bernardino. It is a specially designed program for individuals with Autism and a support group for their families. We had been going for over 3 years and were sad to say good bye to so many good friends and a great support system.

That is when I started to research and create a potential Center for Autism which I am still currently working on. I have run into quite a lot of skepticism because my project is “ambitious and all- inclusive” which causes problems with funding. Also there are many groups supporting research and “cures” for Autism but very little is being done for “Living with Autism”. Of course the most difficult task is the money to get started so I press onward. It is like the

“Field of Dreams”-“If you build it they will come”

Also I started a public journal on AOL which is just an accumulation of thoughts, ideas and strategies for living with Autism on a daily basis. It is also designed to help myself as well as others create a quality of life for our kids that will probably live with Autism for the rest of their lives

Anyone who might be interested can go to AOL’s homepage –click on journals and then input DAKS OPEN DOOR in the search box.

 

So we made it thru the first quarter of the year unscathed- then came April. I finally had made a commitment to repair and update my bathrooms and right in the middle of everything being torn up

I get “the call”--Dakota had fallen at school and broken his leg.

Sparing all the details it was a nightmare and we are still not out of the woods. Essentially he had a compound spiral fracture in 3 places which required surgery and a hospital stay. He refused to get off the bed for over 2 months for anything!!! And I mean anything!!! I was ready to drive off a cliff. Since then, we have gone thru 3 casts, additional surgery on his toes and hours of physical therapy—the leg is still not right. We will continue to work to restore the leg and have limitless hope that Dakota will eventually have no pain and will able to walk correctly again.

 

So the rest of the year has been a side show in comparison with dealing with the injury—Of course June came around and Dakota was not able to graduate so he will be extended an additional year. July 4th was Mom’s 79th birthday and we spent it in our home town -Ontario

There is a parade and craft faire and the all-states picnic. We have a great friend who has a beautiful house on Euclid Avenue {the main street in Ontario-a double wide street with a huge grassy divider that is lined with pepper trees} who invites us every year to come down and watch the parade from his porch .It makes it very nice because we have all the comforts of home plus lots of wonderful people to share it with. It was especially nice this year as Dakota was in a wheelchair and unable to maneuver on his own.<o:p></o:p>

Then came September-which is Dakota’s birthday. As usual we made a trek to Disneyland and the Disneyland Hotel and yes it presented new challenges. 5 months had past and Dakota was still unable to walk so we made adjustments and the most of the situation and had a great time!

 

As for Fall it has been relatively quiet and predictable. We had fun at Halloween. I made a very interesting costume for Dakota. It was Professor Quirrell from the first book of Harry Potter-the Prof. is possessed by VoldeMorte-the villain and is revealed underneath the turban the prof. wears. I actually used a clear life like mask that I painted flesh color and attached to a turban and rigged it with battery operated twinkle lights underneath the face. It was pretty awesome!

{He decided he didn’t want to put it on-the jokes on me!!}

Dakota is really interested in the Harry Potter series of books and movies and has blossomed into quite a movie and tv aficionado. His latest interests have focuses on the new movies coming out next summer and the summer of 2007 as well as the most current releases like “the Chronicles of Narnia” and “King Kong”. He even has several websites on his computer that have countdowns for Spiderman 3 arriving May 4 2007 and the new Pirates of the Carribean which will be out July 2006---Its all in the details!

 

Thank God Thanksgiving was rather uneventful. For the first time since Dakota broke his leg he actually visited with his Dad. He has been extremely nervous about venturing out even with his Dad so it was good to see him take “the first step” {haha} When he arrived home I had a very small turkey and all the trimmings for him and he exclaimed:

“Ahh I’m done with Thanksgiving!”  So as we travel this journey of Autism I have learned one very valuable lesson---I can only create the opportunity for Dakota to experience things the way others do in the neuro-typical world ---it’s up to him to decide whether or not he wants to participate.

 

As for Christmas there is a little more than a week left and as usual I am still preparing for the celebration! This is nothing new and quite typical and actually I love it. We just got our tree up---no thanks to Dakota he wouldn’t help me---not surprising and I still have outside lights to finish. Oh yes and of course I have to wrap this up and get it on its way.

 

Well I am really looking forward to saying goodbye to 2005 and

Welcome 2006 in because it has to holds the promise of the unknown.

Good things to come for all of you is my wish from our home to yours and I truly hope you have a Magical Christmas!

With Love

Cindy, Dakota and Leona

 

p.s. I would love to hear from any of you by “snail mail” or email

my email addresses are

 

Ladeisle2@aol.com--primarily family email

Daksopendoor@aol.com – an autism email

Rlntlys@aol.com-- my personal email

 

Love and Joy this holiday season!!!!!!!!!