Autism should not be faced alone…

NAS

First of all thank you for reading my blog, my name is Jade and I believe that everyone who has or lives (with someone who has) with autism should have someone to be beside them and support them. Anyone, at any age can get autism, some are lifelong disabilities, and others can be caused by an accident or a complication during a complicated procedure (operation).

With the support of the public the NAS (National Autistic Society) hold free meeting in public schools for those who live and care for people that have autism. The NAS also holds many fundraising events that help to raise money for their funds and to give to schools which have people with autism a better chance with education e.g. Onesie Wednesday, dye your hair, run half a marathon or you can even do all three. NAS’s web site not only raises awareness of autism but gives free information about different disabilities.

Around 700,000 people in the uk suffer from autism.

Andy’s story

My parents knew something was wrong from the age of two weeks onwards. I screamed for no apparent reason throughout the day and night for many months. My early life was complicated by the onset of severe eczema and a number of allergies including intolerance to dairy products.

At the age of two-and-a-half I hit my head at the corner of a table raising a lump in the middle of my forehead. I recovered well but a week later my parents found me unconscious in bed and I was admitted to hospital. I had a fit shortly thereafter which was at the time labelled to be a febrile convulsion. However, the fits reoccurred and a diagnosis of grand mal epilepsy was made.

The medical opinion at the time was that the epilepsy was not related to the head injury but my parents never were convinced and still disagree. I didn't like to be cuddled and showed no desire to be picked up and at first my parents suspected that this may have been caused by the eczema. I didn't demand attention, wouldn’t smile or wave goodbye and also responded poorly to speech. I barely babbled and did not engage in proto conversations. I showed very little interest in the environment and was very sensitive to smells, less so to noise.

Growing up, I did not respond to physical affection or seek comfort when I was distressed. I lacked empathy and tended to stare a lot at people. My parents and I made a number of visits to both doctors and psychologists, hoping to get an answer to my odd behaviours but they only focused on my skin and epilepsy.

I coped relatively well in mainstream schools and I think over the years I have learnt to modify my behaviour and learnt a lot mainly thanks to the help from the communications class at my last ever school (1998-2002) where I first heard about Asperger syndrome. It was from there that I slowly but surely started to like myself, rather than wondering why I was indifferent.

I'm lucky compared to others as I always had a small group of friends, who were always there for me regardless of my need. We are still in touch with each other which is a good sign as they have seen it all through my highs and lows. I tried so hard to fit in with others outside my circle of real friends back at high school, probably to hard.

I just wanted to let them know that I always liked them, I just couldn't put my thoughts into words back then and sometimes couldn't control what I said, I just came out with things without thinking. I still occasionally fall back into that habit but very rarely these days, I guess it is part of autism. Today, I have a fantastic social life and a number of great friends - they know who they are and I will always thank them and regard it a pleasure to be part of their lives.

The only down side that remains ever since I left college upbeat and really happy in 2004, has been the lack of job opportunities. Over the past five years my jobs have been very limited. I've only been lucky enough to have had seasonal and voluntary positions in gardening and working for a local charity but never had a full or even a part time job which made me feel pretty down and depressed in the past. Those who denied me an opportunity should think again, I've remained cheerful and positive considering the outcome and believed in my own ability, regardless.

I'm 26 years old and just lately things are starting to take shape. I've been taking driving lessons and was given the all clear by my medical centre back in the summer of 2009, the same time I finally got diagnosed with high functioning autism. Years ago I was once told I would never drive, but there is always hope out there for us all and I knew one day I may get my chance. Now I have my chance, I'm taking it with both hands and feet. The way I see it, I have already beaten the odds and should I pass my driving test I will see it as a bonus more than anything else, as it will almost certainly improve my independence and could open many doors for me - but I won’t stop there.

I'm also about to start a sports coaching course at a residential college. I know I've managed to cope in mainstream schools and colleges over the years and believe I've got to the age where I'm more mature and see this by no means a backwards step but a forwards step. This will be the first time I will be going into special education, I will make up for the mistakes I made in my past and know that I can get the right support there if I ask, something I didn't really have as such in the past when I needed the most.

I am more keen to learn then ever before and I believe the only way from here is up. I hope to reward my whole family and friends for their support and understanding. All my past, present and future success is for you lot. Thank you so much for your time and efforts, it means a lot to me - I wouldn't be who I am today without you and I'm no way ashamed of my autism, it makes me who I am today and now I have the social skills, am proud and most importantly see the strengths it brings.

By Andy Kirtland

Thank you so much for your time, and I hope that you have learnt something new from my blog.

Jade

Save a Life Save a Macmillan Cancer Patient

Hello my name is Frankie, thank you for taking time to read my blog. My blog is about the charity Macmillan cancer support. This charity do all they can to make people with cancer healthy again. They provide practical, medical and financial support for the patients who need it.

When Kate was diagnosed with cervical cancer she was extremely scared and had so many questions about what was happening she fell in to a deep depression because she didn't know what to do or who to turn to, but Vikki a Macmillan care nurse was there for her and Kate and is still there now – unfortunately Kate's cancer spread and is now incurable but Vikki has promised to look after her through it all. Vikki encourages Kate on a regular basis 'it's fine, we can manage this, there are still so many things we can do to make you feel better.'

With just having someone there for her to rely on and to talk to she is still going strong today. ”You can't prepare for a cancer diagnosis. But the best people to support you are people who know what they're talking about - people like Macmillan.”

 Thank you so much for reading my blog I hope you learnt something from it. It would be very helpful if you could leave me some thoughts. In particular it would be great if you could answer some questions. Further information can be found on the website http://www.macmillan.org.uk.

• Have you ever heard of any of the problems that people with cancer face?
• Do you feel more informed about how people from Macmillan help?
• Would you be prepared to do any of the following to improve the lives of people with cancer:

1. Make a donation to 'Macmillan cancer support'
2. Start or join a fund raising campaign?
3. Support Macmillan cancer support every time you use Amazon?
4. Tell your family and friends about this charity and try to persuade them to help out in any of the ways above?

If you do respond to any of my questions would you please tell me where you are from i.e your home town and country.

Thank you so much for taking an interest in my blog
Frankie :)

Born Free - Keep Wildlife in the wild

Hi, my name is Emma and this is my blog. Thank you so much for taking an interest in what I am doing and reading my blog! I am doing an advocacy page for 'Born Free Wild life foundation' and I am going to inform you about this charity and what it does. 'Born Free' was set up in 1998 and has been expanding ever since. I am going to tell you, now about a Moon Bear called Ginny and how she was rescued by this wonderful charity.

For a long time Ginny, was kept in a tiny cage that is known as a 'crush' cage. She was in a situation of being 'milked' for her bile. This was extremely painful for Ginny and she had been open to many infections. The horrific pain traumatised Ginny for a number of years. The reason for this bear bile farming is that bear bile is used in traditional Asian medicines.

 








In the year 2000, however she was rescued and brought to the Born Free foundation in Asia, she was given several operations to repair the damage to her gall bladder. She has recovered from her experience and now lives with 200 other rescued moon bears. She enjoys her fresh food, playing with her friends and swimming in cool, clear water. This is a vast contrast to her previous establishment that she was held in. Now, she is as happy as can be because of Born Free. She has good care and is left to her habitat which has lush green foliage and lots of enrichment to keep her natural instincts there!

Thank you once again for taking time to show an interest in my blog. I would now like to ask you a few questions-

Do you now feel more informed about Born Free?
Would you now consider donating to them?
Would you tell your friends and families about them?
Finally, please tell me-
Where you are from i.e. your nearest town and country (If you are not in the UK)

Thanks Again Emma!

Redwings Believes That No Horse Deserves Abandonment

Thank you very much for taking an interest in opening my Blog, I’m Ellie and  I am raising awareness for Redwings Horse Sanctuary which is the largest horse sanctuary in the UK. Many horses are treated unfairly in the UK and this must be stopped. I want people to have a better understanding on how horses can be poorly treated and by supporting Redwings, hundreds of horses can be saved.

I think that you should support my chosen charity because:

• In Winter alone, 3,000 horses die from causes of neglect and slaughter in the UK
• Redwings can care and treat hundreds of unappreciated horses
• Redwings Horse Sanctuary’s work is funded solely by YOUR donations
• A small donation can save a horses life.

In summer 2004, Redwings rescued 72 horses from Lincolnshire. The horses had had no human interaction or they had been traumatized by negative experiences. Despite the difficulties, they were safely brought to Redwings. Among the 72 horses was one named Mayfair who, when Redwings first  saved her, was thin, had overgrown hooves and had hardly any hair. Over a year after, even though Mayfair was elderly, she gave birth to a healthy foal named Victoria who is now on the adoption scheme. This shows how much work Redwings put into saving these horses, and their work definitely pays off.

 If you are ever interested in Prize draws, Redwings host seasonal draws and all the money you pay goes to the charity. See the Redwings website for more details: http://www.redwings.org.uk/

Again, thank you very much for reading my Blog, it would mean a lot if you could please post your response to a few questions and also general feedback!

• Have you ever heard of Redwings before?
• Have I informed you more about Redwings Horse Sanctuary?
• Would you now consider:

1. Donating to Redwings?
2. Participating in Prize Draws to donate more money?
3. Tell family and friends about Redwings and persuade them to donate

Thank you SO much for taking your time to read my Blog, if you need any further information about Redwings just visit their website (hyperlink above). If you could tell me your home town/country if not from the UK in the comments once you have answered my questions.

THANK YOU!
-ELLIE

Children should not be affected so critically by Cancer

Thank you very much for taking your time to read through my blog. My name is Ella-Louise; if the children suffering from this malicious illness knew you were here to support them they would be extremely thankful too. Trying to give Children the best childhood possible is something very important to me. Children with Cancer UK is a very well-known charity nationally they are there to help give these guiltless children back their lives by giving them the medication their bodies need to fight through Cancer, but unfortunately many people do not understand how important the fundraising and donations are to trying to stop the children’s pain. But I am hoping my Blog will try and change many opinions and attitudes towards helping these children, because many of their families simply cannot afford to help them on their own. www.ChildrenwithCancerUK.org.uk.

 Patients with cancer often stay in hospital for many days or months at a time and being in hospital for that long can be very difficult for patients and their parents, brothers and sisters, and particularly for patients in isolation. Instead of being at school and fascinated by her education Lily is lying in a hospital bed hooked up to medication fighting for her life. Her family is all Lily has during this awful time as she has no chance of an education so she cannot make friends while working but watch her families concern rise. Because Lily is the only child around her to only people to keep her entertained are her struggling family, she has no one of her own age to keep her companionship. One of Lily’s dreams is to go to school like any other child, but similar to Cancer the fear of bullying is petrifying her and stopping her from fulfilling her dreams.

Thank you again for evaluating my blog. Please do leave a detailed response regarding my Blog. In particular, it would be excellent if you could leave a few words to answer the following questions I have- and help in any way you feel you can.

• Had you ever heard of the problems caused by Children suffering with Cancer?
• Do you now feel more informed about issues Children face with suffering from Cancer?
• Would you now be prepared to do any of the following to improve the Children’s lives?

1. Make a donation to ‘Children with Cancer UK’?
2. To join or possibly start a fund raising campaign?
3. Inform your friends, family or anyone you think possible about ‘Children with Cancer UK’ and how they could help stop the children’s pain?
4. Regularly receive information sent by ‘Children with Cancer UK’ informing you about their latest stories and upcoming fund raising events, and how to get involved?

If you are able to post a response to my blog, please can you tell me where you come from; for example your home town / country. (If not UK)

Thank you again so, very much for showing an interest in my Blog!

Ella-Louise

Wooden Spoon – Transforming the lives of young people

Hello, my name is Charlotte and firstly I would like to thank you for showing an interest in my blog!  My chosen charity is the Wooden Spoon.  I chose this charity as I think that it started from something so unusual and developed into an extremely successful charity concluding to my opinion which is that anyone can be successful in helping anyone! It is quite a popular charity if you have a wide knowledge of rugby events; if not then you may not have come across it.

A school in Watcombe, Torquay called Coombe Pafford caters for over 200 pupils who have moderate learning difficulties. The Head Teacher Mike Lock was becoming more and more concerned at the fact of the vast majority of his pupils leaving his school were not able to obtain any employment. He had a great vision though! Mr Lock wanted to create a vocational curriculum which would prepare the students in a better start after they left and enable them to earn a living by themselves.

It was a great idea. But the school didn’t have the facilities or resources. They didn’t have any money either. They needed to raise £400,000.  This would be used to build a Business and Enterprise centre to provide construction and motor vehicle training. Coombe Pafford School applied for grants and did a lot of fundraising themselves and eventually got to about £270,000. By this time there were no fundraising efforts left. They had heard about the Wooden Spoon and decided to prepare a presentation to ask for their support and were delighted as well as overwhelmed to receive a donation of £100,000. Without the fund from the Wooden Spoon Mike Lock is convinced that the school would be in a completely different position than the successful on they are in today.

But it didn’t end there… that was just the beginning.

The new centre was successful from day one; it wasn’t only just used by the pupils at Coombe Pafford but by the pupils from ten other local schools and it soon became obvious that there was a need of there being another one. Mr Lock applied for a national grant of £500,000 and because of the success rate with working with other schools, the second unit was built. It included five working bathrooms, an electrical training room, a painting, decorating room and a tiling room and a bricklaying area.

A café was also built which cost £670,000 which delivers hospitality and catering and will open to the public in September this year. As well as a café, a hair salon was created adjacent to the café.

The key message that needs to be stressed is that without the Wooden Spoon donation, none of these new facilities would have been constructed.
 

 
Thank you very much for taking the time to read my blog! For extra information about the Wooden Spoon you can always visit their website www.woodenspoon.com Please help all children have the opportunities they should! It would be really helpful if you could answer the following questions and maybe just give me some general feedback. If you choose to leave a response, it would be even more helpful if you could state your hometown and country (if not in the UK!)

• Had you heard about this charity before?
• Do you now feel more informed about the projects that the Wooden Spoon fund?
• Would you now consider or be prepared to:-

• Donate
• Sign up to receive Spoon news? (newsletter on the charity)
• Join a fundraising campaign?
• Tell our family or friends?

Thank you for taking the time and interest to read my blog

Help Battersea Dogs and Cats Home - Make a new best friend

Hello and thank you for taking an interest in my blog! My name is Bethany and trying to help Domestic Animal Abuse is something I feel very strongly about. The charity that I am advocating for is Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. A lot of people already know about the suffering of animal cruelty but there is more to it than that. Like Flipper who is pictured below. After you have read my blog, I hope you will know more about my charity Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Domestic Animal Abuse and what Flipper went through and feel you want to help. Here is his story.

This irresistible grey Staffie puppy was found in a cardboard box in Croydon, sick, barely eight weeks old, with no fur, and struggling to get around on her wonky back legs. Christened Flipper after the dolphin in the TV series, she quickly grew into a right little character with a unique walking style, and was rehomed after 44 days at Battersea.

Flipper was able to have a “new” life thanks to Battersea. If they hadn’t found him in the box, he wouldn’t be his happy self and wouldn’t have a loving family to look after him. Battersea have cared for over 3 million dogs and cats since it opened in 1860 and it’s only £24 to look after a dog for a day and £353 to care for a cat for their whole stay. This includes keeping them safe and well fed.

Thank you again for reading my blog. To help me, please post me your thoughts. It would also be great if you could write a short paragraph for the questions below and help Battersea in any way you can! More details for Battersea can be found at www.battersea.org.uk. Please help dogs and cats and give them a life they need.

• Have you heard of Battersea before you read my blog and what they do to help animals in need of survival?
• Do you feel more informed about my charity and the ways they help dogs and cats?
• Would you do any of the activities listed below in help of Battersea?

1. Do a sponsored something for Battersea.
2. Make a donation
3. Tell your friends and family about this charity.
4. Sign up to Battersea’s Newsletter.

If you write a response, please include where you come from: i.e., your home town and if not in the U.K, your country

Thank You again

Save the Poverty, Save the Population, Save The Children

Hello I’m Akina, thank you very much for taking the time to read my blog. Globally, children, especially at a young age, are already suffering and dying from the dangerous situation they are in. Although this is a well-known issue, not many people take the action to help. Save the Children is an organization that support and aid the children who are in danger of the disadvantages. Therefore I hope by reading my blog that you would be more informed about the issues that children have to face with the poverty and the civil wars.

Currently, Syria is in their 3rd year of civil war where 1 million children have turned into refugees. Children at this situation are facing torture and poverty, this has made them vulnerable. Here is a story about a 13 year old girl, Amani, who had lost her tortured brother. Amani was lucky to not have witnessed being tortured herself but one day her brother, Hamam was beaten with sticks and the people took turns to jump on his back. It was such experience that she and her family had to flee before they would be killed as well, leaving her brother behind. From then she didn’t eat anymore and lost so much weight over the months, she couldn’t stop crying and wonders how long it will take her to recover. However donating only £100 could buy food for families which can cover their nutritional needs.

You should support this issue because:

• Children at a young age are suffering and dying
• Families are lacking decent food and water for their children
• In some countries, education is not free so children are missing out precious education
• Children’s rights are still violated in many places, like Syria
• Families does not have access to better healthcare

Thank you again for reading my blog. If you are interested about the charity; for further details visit this website, http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/. One day you could make a difference to one child…

Please may you leave a short response about my charity, answering the following questions:

• Have you heard of Save the Children before?
• Are you now more informed about Save the Children?
• Would you consider raising awareness about Save the Children?
• Would you be prepared to donate £1 to Save the Children?

Once again thank you for taking the time to read my blog, if you do post a response, please can you write where you come from- i.e. your home town and country (if not UK!)

Akina