The California wildfires were tragic, as hundreds of people lost their homes. One story hit me in particular. That of Jonathan Reyes. He’s an autistic boy who lost his home in the fire, along with his prized possession–his Hot Wheels collection. It was heartbreaking for me to read the story of how he and his family sifted through the ashes of the home. While Jonathan’s home cannot be replaced, thankfully part of his world has been. Mattel sent the boy a bunch of Hot Wheels cars, and others have offered donations to help.
Thing is, I think this is an autistic parent’s nightmare. I often worry if something happened and we had to leave our home. Heaven forbid in something unexpected like a fire. But what about a scenario many more people are facing right now, like the loss of a home due to foreclosure. It’s hard enough sometimes just getting through life, worrying about the basics, but when you tie in the particular needs of a challenged child, it can be even more complicated, and scary. In our case, Raif can’t even communicate well. Right now his frustrations over seemingly insignificant things comes out in the form of aggression. I can only imagine after something like that. Not merely the loss of a home, but perhaps the loss of a family member or some other radical change. While you hope and trust that something like that won’t happen, reading stories of those who have walked that path certainly gets you thinking…and praying.
I’m not really going anywhere with this. Any family worries about the possibility of the unexpected, of a tragedy. When you have a large family, that fear is a bit more pronounced because the reality is that housing so many people, and simply providing for their needs, can be difficult under good circumstances. Though, I don’t know if any of that really compares to that nagging of the idea of your child, who already is lost in the world of his/her disability, having to deal with such situation. I am just thankful that we’re not facing that situation…yet.
There but for the grace of God go I.
