Walking for a wonderful cause
Published on September 25th, 2002
STONEHAM, MA - If you could walk in Stoneham resident Judy Doucette’s shoes, you would learn about the delicate balance of parenting a child with whom you share a great love, and with whom you share the great struggle of living with the disorder of autism.
Many of us will never know the unique relationship between a parent like Doucette and her autistic child, but we can walk alongside her, supporting the cause she and many others in Stoneham, in surrounding towns, and all over the country are fighting for.
On Sunday, September 29, Doucette and an expected 4,000 others will lace up their shoes at the MDC Artesani Park in Brighton and walk a three mile course they hope will take them leaps and bounds closer to a cure for autism.
This is the second Walk F.A.R. (Families and Friends for Autism Research) for NAAR in New England. Last year 3,500 walkers teamed up in Brighton and raised $475,000 to research causes, treatment, prevention and a cure for the disorder, and over 40,000 people have participated nationally.
NAAR is the National Alliance for Autism Research, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to raise money, through fund-raising events such as this, for autism research.
Autism is a complex brain disorder which typically inhibits a child’s ability to communicate, respond to his surroundings, and form close relationships. It affects emotional, cognitive, behavioral and fine and gross motor skills. Autism is referred to as a spectra disorder due to the wide range of symptoms and severity from one person to another, thereby making diagnosis and treatment difficult. According to NAAR, autism is the third most common developmental disability after cerebral palsy and mental retardation.
"It’s a giant puzzle and nobody’s put the pieces together yet," said Red Sox Vice President of Sales and Marketing Larry Cancro, who served on last year’s walk planning committee.
What is known is that autism reaches across racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds and is four times more prevalent in boys than girls. In severe cases, autistic children grow into adults who require lifelong care and supervision.
The numbers are staggering. Some studies put the number of children affected with autism in this country as 1 in 500. But Cancro told the crowd of walkers last year that in the 1990's, 1 in 150 children in Massachusetts were diagnosed with autism.
"It’s a very pervasive situation and needs to be addressed now," he said.
The Red Sox organization is on board again this year to sponsor Sunday’s walk, as are other organizations such as The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, Yawkey Foundation II, Brian J. Kelley Foundation, Lowell Spinners and many more.
But it is the teams of walkers that lend the spirit to the event. Doucette will be walking on a team made up of some very special people she has met over the past year and a half, such as Stoneham resident Ann Marie Hershberger who welcomed Doucette into the support group she founded two years ago for parents of children with autism.
"I felt I can’t be the only mom there, raising a child with autism,” Hershberger said of her impetus to begin a support group. Her son Joseph, now 4, was diagnosed with the disorder when he was just 2.
"It’s nice to be somewhere where people understand what’s going on with your child," she said.
The group meets monthly and, after hosting the parents in her own home and then in other members’ homes, the group decided it preferred the relaxed atmosphere of a restaurant, where no one member has to worry about hosting chores. The group currently meets at the Formosa Restaurant in Wakefield.
For Doucette, whose three-and-a-half year-old son Ben was diagnosed as autistic at age 2, the group gives her support for the day to day challenges of parenting an autistic child. Participating in this walk, she said, gives other family and friends a special way to help as well.
Ten members of the support group have a formed a team that on Sunday will number about 150 people strong. Captained by Hershberger’s husband Kevin, the team is called "Cure Our Kids." The Natural Food Exchange in Stoneham has generously donated team T-shirts adorned with the logo designed by local graphic artist, Heather Flynn.
Also helping out the group in its fight for a cure are students from Stoneham, Reading, Melrose and Wakefield high schools who have lent their support in various ways, such as fund-raising in school stores and at upcoming football games.
Despite its prevalence, autism remains a forgotten area of research funding by both private and public organizations. Doucette, Hershberger and legions of others are working to change that. NAAR was established by parents of autistic children in 1994 who were concerned about and wanted to effectively change the limited research funding for the condition. Last year, NAAR received over $3 million in grants for biomedical research projects around the world.
But the number of diagnoses continue to rise and there are still miles to go in finding a cure. Hershberger is encouraged, however, by the strides made in the past few years on various levels, such as medical, educational, and therapeutic. Mainstream medicine, she said, is beginning to recognize some of the alternative therapies that support group members have previously learned about only through each other.
Doucette is optimistic about what people can accomplish by coming together for a cause as they will do on Sunday.
"Sunday means hope for me and the other mothers. Hope that other families won’t have to go through what we have already gone through,” said Doucette. “Hope that we can find a cure ultimately. That would be the best - that research will be able to find a cure and to find a cause."
If you would like to help Ben, Joseph and the thousands of others currently struggling with autism, contact Ann Marie Hershberger at (781) 481-9200 or email her at kahershberger@attbi.com. Donations may also be directly to NAAR at P.O. Box 225, Topsfield, MA 01983 or through its website at www.naar.org.
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