Since I was a young boy, I’ve always looked up to my big sister Teresa.
…But when James was about 1 [and a half] years old, my sister noticed a sudden change.
“He would just stare. And there would be no response,” Teresa Champion told “Good Morning America.” “And he stopped responding to his name. It’s like somebody flicked the light switch.”’
She sometimes felt as through James’ condition was her fault.
“I was, like, I should’ve spent more time working with him, one-on-one, I should’ve played with him, like I did Sydney. You know, I mean, I should’ve, I should’ve, I should’ve, yeah,” she said.
Like any mother, she carried that guilt through numerous trips to the doctors. James was 2 years old when Teresa finally heard the diagnosis that would have crushed any parent.
The doctor said James had moderate to severe autism.
For Teresa, the diagnosis became a challenge.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, OK. Autism. All right, great. Now we know what we’re going to do, right?’” she recalled.
But there is no cure for autism.
…My sister put her legal career on hold to dig for answers.
She was sure if she worked hard enough she would find a cure for her little boy.
Many other mothers of autistic children were also devoting their lives to finding answers.
…But they would all be told the same thing: There is no cure and there are very few treatment ideas or programs for children like James.
Years later, as parents with autistic children began to network for solutions, there would be adapted baseball leagues, swim meets – places where James felt accepted.
…Riding horses connected James to the outside world. It was a connection that Teresa wanted for the other autistic children and their parents.
She helped raise money for the struggling nonprofit program James rides in. Those funds allow others take part in the program, too.
“Her purpose was never just to find something for James, but it was to really encourage the whole community of parents and riders, let’s build a community and network … that’s going to help them move forward,” said Corliss Wallingford, the executive director of Simple Changes.
Putting people together and fundraising may be one of my sister’s best talents. She found strength in a support group when she first heard James’ diagnosis. Now, she runs one out of her own home.
“I found this group about six or seven years ago and it has become a lifeline for me,” June Adelsberger, the mother of an autistic child, said.
Another parent seconded the sentiment.
“We always have to, amongst each other, get the message out there, that they are just a little bit different,” Scott Campbell said.
Patty Ratliffe finds understanding.
“Some of the things that our kids do, you don’t necessarily want to go to the other neighborhood moms because they can’t relate,” she said…