I like Michael Jackson's Music, A Lot. But, I'm Not A Fan! I Am a Fan of Carly!!

I don't think I have ever been a fan of an individual person.

Oh, I've been a fan of the Angel's baseball team since I was a kid. And, as a teen I had a few crushes on some famous actresses. But to be a sold out fan of a single person, like all the millions of Michael Jackson fans out there who have felt such deep loss at his death, including some who have committed suicide over it. Well, I just don't get that and I have even met Michael Jackson. But, all of sudden that has changed. Meet Carly.

She is 13 years old and has been diagnosed with Autism. I didn't know Carly till just a few days ago when I noticed she was following me on Twitter. Now, I have over a hundred Aid Organizations and people interested in mission work in Africa following me, but this was the first 13 year old girl. I thought she had confused me with one of the Jonas Brothers or thought I was a long lost family member. Curious, I went to her Twitter page and then to her Blog, watched a video and then read some of her writings and finally started to cry.

Take a moment and watch this short video and read this article, courtesy of ABC News:

Autism Breakthrough: Girl's Writings Explain Her Behavior and Feelings

Doctors Amazed by Carly Fleischmann's Ability to Describe the Disorder From the Inside

By JOHN MCKENZIE – ABC NEWS

Feb. 19, 2008

Carly Fleischmann has severe autism and is unable to speak a word. But thanks to years of expensive and intensive therapy, this 13-year-old has made a remarkable breakthrough.Two years ago, working with pictures and symbols on a computer keyboard, she started typing and spelling out words. The computer became her voice.

"All of a sudden these words started to pour out of her, and it was an exciting moment because we didn't realize she had all these words," said speech pathologist Barbara Nash. "It was one of those moments in my career that I'll never forget."

Then Carly began opening up, describing what it was like to have autism and why she makes odd noises or why she hits herself.

"It feels like my legs are on fire and a million ants are crawling up my arms," Carly said through the computer. Carly writes about her frustrations with her siblings, how she understands their jokes and asks when can she go on a date.

"We were stunned," Carly's father Arthur Fleischmann said. "We realized inside was an articulate, intelligent, emotive person that we had never met. This was unbelievable because it opened up a whole new way of looking at her." This is what Carly wants people to know about autism.

"It is hard to be autistic because no one understands me. People look at me and assume I am dumb because I can't talk or I act differently than them. I think people get scared with things that look or seem different than them." "Laypeople would have assumed she was mentally retarded or cognitively impaired. Even professionals labelled her as moderately to severely cognitively impaired. In the old days you would say mentally retarded, which means low IQ and low promise and low potential," Arthur Fleischman said. Therapists say the key lesson from Carly's story is for families to never give up and to be ever creative in helping children with autism find their voice.

"If we had done what so many people told us to do years ago, we wouldn't have the child we have today. We would have written her off. We would have assumed the worst. We would have never seen how she could write these things, how articulate she is, how intelligent she is," the grateful father added.

"I asked Carly to come to my work to talk to speech pathologists and other therapists about autism," said Nash. "What would you like to tell them? She wrote, 'I would tell them never to give up on the children that they work with.' That kind of summed it up."

Carly had another message for people who don't understand autism.

"Autism is hard because you want to act one way, but you can't always do that. It's sad that sometimes people don't know that sometimes I can't stop myself and they get mad at me. If I could tell people one thing about autism it would be that I don't want to be this way. But I am, so don't be mad. Be understanding."

Carly, I know you're off at camp, so you won't see this right away. But, I just wanted you to know I'm a fan. For the first time in my life I'm a real fan. Why? I suppose I should mention I have a daughter who is mildly on the spectrum of autism, and you have given me a window into a difficult and painful time in her life, but that is not the reason. It is because you have spoken so honestly and eloquently, that you have broken down another barrier of judgement in my life. Hearing in your words, amidst all the noise of the external and behavioral aspects of Autism, the heart that lies within. Thank you, Carly. Keep being a voice!

Eaar

P.S. If you live in southern California and have a child with Autism or have a desire to help children and families with Autism, the church where I attend is beginning a ministry called "Connecting the Pieces" Click on the link and check it out.