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4/17/2025 4 Comments

My Right to a Cure: Reflections on RJK Jr's Speech

Yesterday Robert Kennedy JR made what I believe is an historic speech. He showed that the latest figures are one in thirty-one children are autistic. One in twenty boys. There are no words that can convey the tragedy that has happened in this country. While the numbers worsened decade after decade, no one did anything to stop it.

I am one in twenty. My male friends here at Mouth to Hand are one in twenty. You cannot understand the suffering autism can cause if you don’t live with it every day. We suffer not only because we can’t speak, but because we have such severe comorbidities that too often go untreated because everything is attributed to autism. We hurt ourselves and people we love, and we can’t help it. We destroy property and we destroy our families’ lives, and we can’t help it.

I won’t even get into the emotional toll on us and our families.

And while we suffer, and while our families desperately try to find help, what have we been given by our country? - the label of bigots, because we want a cure. No, autism is not a beautiful thing, and no, my parents and I are not bigots because we want this nightmare to end.

If you don’t want the cure, don’t take the pill. But don’t stop me from swallowing it. The Robert Kennedy speech made me finally feel seen and heard. Maybe now there is a chance for help to come to those of us who want it.

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4/10/2025 0 Comments

Happiness

This past month may have been the best of my life. I get teared up just thinking about how much knowing Judy has made a difference in my life. There are no words that can explain how much better I feel now that I am on medicine.The fact is that it was Judy helping me yell at my parents that made them listen. It is like I am reborn.

This month also had Alex’s bar mitzvah in it, which is the single best day of my life. It was transformative, being in the synagogue. And then there was the gala. So many fun and amazing things!

I am happier than I have ever been.