Autism Speaks, Community, In Their Own Words, A Father’s Day Tribute

A Father's Day Tribute

Editor's note: We asked staff and volunteers, who have someone with autism in their life to give us a few sentences about their husband/dad in honor of Father's Day. Below are some of the many responses we received. The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors exclusively.

My husband walks through the door every night; my child with autism does not notice. My husband stays up past midnight with me to make sure that our Christmas morning is perfect; my child with autism does not notice. My husband helps me make sure that each birthday has a special theme with the perfect cake to whatever our son's favorite character is for the moment;

my child with autism does not notice. It is Father's Day and children everywhere are doing special projects for their dads and are waiting anxiously to give their dads their special treasure; my child with autism does not notice. My husband is the greatest dad and I am not sure if my child with autism notices, however, none of that matters because my husband, Michael, is his dad and he is his son and that is all that matters! – Submitted by Alison Giangregorio

Thank you to my husband, Stephen, for all he does for our four children: Stephen, Tyler, Samantha, Bryce and the dog Beanya. I hope you know how much I appreciate how you find something unique to do with each of them. It can be tough being one of four and this helps reassure them that they are each an important part of our family. – Submitted by Charleen Nagy

Pier is an amazing man and father. Even though we thought we were adopting a typical child, we found ourselves facing many challenges with our daughter, who was diagnosed with PDD/Autism at age 4. From the first day, Pier has fully accepted and loved her at whatever stage she's at and whatever challenge she's presented. He is gentle, patient and loving in all his interactions

with her and has been there for her every step of the way. She is truly blessed to have him as a father as am I to have him as a husband and partner. – Submitted by Vicky Westra

Pops, Happy Father's Day! Thank you for bringing so much happiness into our lives. We are very lucky to have you and are so thankful for everything you do for us. You have brought us together in so many ways and we hope that we can give that back to you. We love you! Kelly Girl & Steven – Submitted by Cathy Calanni

I could write a book on how my son Corey's autism diagnosis impacted our family, and in particular, my husband Gary. Even being the father of five doesn't prepare you for the journey ahead. With Father's Day upon us I cannot show enough appreciation for your never-ending strength and support. The course of fatherhood was altered on the day of Corey's diagnosis, just short of his second birthday. You quickly realized you

needed to be a different type of dad to help our son. I know the emotional impact of just him saying I love you for the first time had on you and all of us. Happy Father's Day to my husband and to all the wonderful dads as you help us face the challenges ahead! With love, your family, Michele, Kara, Jared, Cayla, Haley and Corey - Submitted by Michele Lopes

There aren't many people that love Disney as much as Pat does. And Pat has convinced himself that Danny loves it too. So, Pat takes it upon himself to take Danny to Disney almost every year. Andy and I have been on some of these Disney trips; it is anything but easy. Last year, Danny rebelled and kept pulling on Pat from ride to ride. Danny's strength was

exhausting Pat, though he would never admit it. We were unable to go to any restaurants because Danny wasn't in the frame of mind to wait or sit. Swimming seemed to be his only real relaxation. Danny does enjoy the rides as long as there is no wait, but that's difficult to find in Disney. And, I don't even want to talk about the plane ride last year. An easy trip? No way! Then why does Pat keep taking Danny on these trips? Because he won't give up! He will do anything to see a glimpse of happiness on Danny's face. He lives for it. Both Andy and Danny are so lucky to have a father like Pat. – Submitted by Elaine Carfagna

Dad has been such a blessing in our lives, especially in our sister Beth's life. He has served on the Avondale Board for many years and was the board member in charge of a $5 million project for building Avondale, a school for children with autism. While raising Elizabeth and his other daughter, Kaitlyn, dad decided to step in and adopt his two nieces after their parents passed away. He is always there for our sister, and has been an excellent father and role model for all of us. - Submitted by Steve Ullrich's daughters (Kaitlyn, Christina and Brooke)

For a parent, accepting that your child may always be different from what we know as “typical” can be very difficult; doing it with grace and dignity even more so. Today I want to recognize my husband, Danny, father of two beautiful kids, one of whom is on the spectrum. He has never, ever seen our son as anything other than perfect, as is. Acceptance in its purest form. Happy

Father's Day honey – we love you! – Submitted by Michele Montanez

My husband Marco and I have two beautiful children – Isabella age 11 and Nicholas age 10. Marco initially couldn't accept Nicholas' diagnosis of autism. He kept hoping that it was just a phase and that Nicholas would grow out of it. As time went on he realized and accepted that would not be the case. Marco has volunteered in all Autism Speaks events tirelessly ever since. He is reliable

and is always willing to do more. Marco volunteers because he feels he has to do something to beat autism and not let it beat him. Our son recently enrolled in a little league team for children with autism. Marco is so proud because he had always dreamt of seeing his only son play ball. He hopes a cure will be found soon and will not stop until that happens. – Submitted by Mary Rios

It's difficult to put into words what my husband's support means to our whole family. His strength, his love and his willingness to learn about autism makes our journey together easier. Autism has brought all of us closer and made us

more caring and compassionate. He is a father who is involved with his children's lives and all of us love him for it. Thank you, Michael, for being our rock when we need something to stand on. And thank you for your soft side when we need a shoulder to cry on. You are a wonderful father! Happy Father's Day! – Submitted by Megan Browne

Being the father of a child with autism has made me more aware and appreciative of what people can accomplish. My son, Andrew, has made great progress, but will always face challenges. He has the most positive outlook on life. I hope other people value him for the things he can do, rather than focus on the things he can't. – Submitted by Phillip Hain

Our son, William, is very fortunate to have my husband, Greg, for a father. William was born at a very difficult time for my husband as his father was in his last days in a battle against a very aggressive form of cancer and was taken from us just 10 days after William's birth. Despite the overwhelming grief, Greg remained strong for us and for his new son. Just 16 months

later, we would be faced with another overwhelming challenge and overcome with grief and a sense of loss as William was diagnosed with autism. Greg remained strong and optimistic about William's future, putting our children's and my needs above his own. He dedicated himself to raising our son, giving up his career and his dreams, and doing whatever he had to do to ensure that William could get the therapies and care that he needed to overcome the effects of autism. Greg's dedication and selflessness to helping our son, William, has enabled William to progress remarkably and makes him the best father in the world in our book. – Submitted by Patty Gillette

I know how much my husband looked forward to being a dad; images of playing hockey and golf together, watching sports on the weekend, sending his son off to his alma mater, watching him marry the woman of his dreams and starting a family of his own. Things haven't quite turned out the way we planned but you would never know it when you hear him talk about Griffin. I'm not sure why this surprises me. Afterall he still loves me even though I am not quite the size 4, gourmet chef, neat housekeeper, super attentive wife he married.. – Submitted by Tracey MacDonald

I love my dad and respect him. He plays baseball with me and loves doing that. We had the best time at Disney World! He is the nicest daddy in the world! – Submitted by Seamus Dolnick, his 8.5 year old son with autism

If you have a story you wish to share about your personal experience with autism, please send it to editors@autismspeaks.org. Autism Speaks reserves the right to edit contributions for space, style and content. Because of the volume of submissions, not all can be published on the site.