My Tuckerman/ A Dad's post

I know that it maybe a little weird that a dude or a dad be posting on a blog, but I myself am so absorbed into T-mans fight that it moves me into action. (Even if its doing something as girly as writing on blog.) We have had so many people ask us about the different things were doing for T-man that we started this blog for these people to go and see. Maybe it will help someone else on in their fight. Because it literally is a fight, their is no one place to go to get the answers that your looking for. I especially felt it important to post my experience because I feel like there is not much out there for the dad's going through this fight for their child. The women have Jenny and her warrior mom cry to rally around, but we as men have to stand up in a unfamiliar way for your child. There is no one threatening your child or something you can stick a strip of duck tape on to fix this problem. So, what I did I stuck my head down and worked that's what I could do to make it better make more money.

I remember the December evening like it was yesterday when when a little old Latin doctor that we waited six months to see, spent an hour and a half with my All-American and told us he was Autistic. That was the hardest punch in the stomach that I have ever taken. My wife and I couldn't even ask any or think of any questions to ask. We wander out of that clinic half crying and half confused. We kept doing what we where doing, we keep him in ECI till the end of January when he turned three we sent him into public school for three hours every morning. I had know idea what to do. I finally let myself see the signs that everyone else had been seeing for a while. I started re-thinking all of my hopes and dreams that every dad has the first time you hold your first brand new little Ball Player. I started thinking well I just want him to have a nice comfortable life maybe get him to where he can have a nice job and some normal things. Friends and family told us how blessed we where to have such a choice spirit to be blessed to us and that if anybody could handle this we were the parents that could. (I love you all, no hard felling on what I'm about to write.) I just wanted to punch them in the face!!! Your just glad its not yours and you is what I'd say in my head. I just stopped talking to anyone about it and started working trying to make enough money to throw at the situation.

I thanks my Father in Heaven everyday for the wife He gave me. As my wife posted the Doctors T.V. show started her on a very fast and consuming journey that took her to Oklahoma City and on hours and hours of research on the Internet. I looked at this time as my role was to go to work and make the money and support and listen to the wife. This was my wonderful attitude, leave it to the wife and me the stupid monkey go make the money.

Understand, I love my wife and my Little Man and would do anything for them. I never retreated I was their for them both, but my mind and thought process was all wrong. My little Team Captain is one the most unconditionally loving persons that I have ever meet in my life. At about 18 months progression just stopped, but I could always see the intelligence in his eyes. I thank my God every night for such a loving Tuckerman.

About a month ago my wife left to help her brother and I picked up out of no where one for the many books my wife has laying around on Autism. I read like the first four chapters and caught the fire that burns so strongly inside my wife on the subject. I thought to myself saying this to myself "SCREW YOU I can restore my sons! my wife is on the right track I can have my ALL-AMERICAN BALL PLAYER TEAM CAPTAIN and he will go to college, get married, and have little T-men of his own. I can do this, I HAVE TO FIGHT FOR MY SON. Yes, I do have to work and make the money, but their is so much more that I can do as a husband and father to see this process through. I'm still trying to change and be more involved but I'm just as excited as my wife is now to start the next new treatment and see the huge little changes and watch my Super Tuckerman emerge out of this autism and see him FIGHT off this medical disease. I'm going to the next DAN conference in Dallas and I as a dad will be a advocate for my son.

So, after all that, to the DAD's out there its OK to say to others my child is Autistic and where going to beat this. There is nothing to be ashamed of you know and love your child for who they are. Learn as much as you can don't leave it all to the wife. (But, some times you will have to help her and pull her off the Internet and take her somewhere nice, she will be totally consumed at times with the research.) STAND UP AND FIGHT!!!! Its the most different fight you will ever fight in your life, like I said no amount of duck tape will instantly fix this problem but in the end it will make you better man and your whole normal child will love you even more than you will ever know.

I hope this post make sense I have never written anything like this before. and I hope a mom or a dad will get some thing out of this as well. I think I did this more for me I have always have gotten more out of experiences in life if I will write them down and remember them later.

GOOD LUCK!