“ You see, Our Girl was consumed by her Autism. She was lost in it. The screaming and crying and head banging…. The endless nights of no sleep. The constant diaper messes…. The hours and hours and hours of uncontrollable crying and thrashing on the floor. No words to communicate with. Therapies were failing. We were all lost and drowning. Our entire household. And then you came into play. The first therapist after having so many that weren’t the right fit…. The first therapist to make life easier and not harder. To let us know we have options and rights. The first person to see Our Girl for who she was…. And not just another number…. Or another child on the spectrum. Not just another client. Not just another kid going through their program.

You see the thing is, us parents are so alone trying to navigate therapy. And life. I was in such a bad position with a company. And you, you gave me hope when I was wanting to throw in the towel and feeling stuck. You came into our home from 8am-3pm five days a week. You weren’t a clinical, cold, detached therapist. You were warm. Caring. Kind. Did you know that my girl had so many different therapists in and out of her life that she could barely stay regulated throughout her days and often wouldn’t? And that my friend…. That saved all of us. Not just Elle, but me as well.

You see the thing is, my girl really didn’t connect with people… other than her family when we met you. And after a while, she started to wait for your car to pull up every morning. Your name became one of her very few words. She lit up when you’d come over. She still does. Did you know that when she’s having really hard days, sometime she yells for you? And sometimes when I tell her no, she thinks you’ll come rescue her and give her what she wants 🤣

You were empathetic. You were understanding. You took your time to learn her communication style. You advocated fiercely for her. To learn her subtle signs of becoming disregulated. You showed up. You shared with me about your similarities when I felt lost and alone and mad and confused. The day you told me you had Epilepsy like her, I just…. I knew you were meant to cross paths with us.

People often ask me about ABA therapy. It’s very controversial as you know… I swear by it. And so do you. But I learned, it can all go to shit without the proper therapist. You set the bar high.

You helped me celebrate all of the tiny wins… to everyone else, but big big to us and Elle. You sat with us during big meltdowns and big emotions. You had Elle’s back. You had what was best for her in the forefront. Your blind loyalty to seeing her succeed and navigate life was……. It was unreal. I truly believe she was so successful with her growth because you believed in her. And put yourself in her shoes. I’ve never witnessed that from another therapist.

It took a long time for me to get her services with another company. The thought of humans in our home………. It’s so hard to get to know people and have to repeat Elle’s needs to new humans. It’s a lot. But, you set the bar high. So I know that I have rights to who’s around my child. You taught me unknowingly what to look for. And what therapy should look like when done with love and compassion.

I’ll never forget your last day. I cried all night before. And I tried so hard to not cry the entire last session. My heart broke for you. For myself. For Elle. I was trying so hard to be so happy for you. You were growing up, making big moves career wise. It was the next natural step. It took Elle a long time to adjust to not having you in that every day capacity. You were her best friend. It could have been such a monumental loss for her…..

But here we are. A long time later of being on the other side…. Not working together… and look at where we all are. You were a safe space and person for her… which was rare. You were in our home and in our lives for so long. And…… here we are. You stayed. You became family. “ Tori, you home soon?”

You saw our girl. You saw me. You saw our family. There will never be words to fully express our gratitude and love that we will forever have for you. Elliott has come so far already in her little life. And you played such a detrimental role in that progress. The fact that you are now her Auntie, all of my children’s Auntie, make sure to come spend time with her, well…… that just speaks volumes of you as a human. There aren’t words to describe what we’ve all experienced together as a whole. There’s something so raw about being in this intimate setting with someone… about sitting on the floor and crying when your child is having a meltdown down and just being seen… But we are so thankful to have you in our lives…. Thank you. And I cannot wait to officiate the shit out of your wedding.”

Ever special child deserve to find a human like this. A forever friend. Every special family deserves to have a therapist save them. To help them in a life that they never imagined. It’s rare. We are so lucky.