In the December of 2009, our 3 year old son Max was diagnosed with Autism. At the time we had no real idea of what autism was let alone how it was to change our lives forever. 

Max had been such a gorgeous, happy and contented baby until his second year when he started withdrawing into himself, becoming scared, frustrated and developmentally heading backwards instead of forwards. I can safely say the year following Max's diagnosis was the most challenging learning curve of our lives. We welcomed our daughter Poppy into the world just 2 months after Max was diagnosed and she quickly became accustomed to traipsing from one therapy session to another as a normal part of life. 

As young, loving parents of Max we were desperate and willing to try anything that may assist Max to manage his erratic, overwhelming and very traumatic behavior. So, we spent every waking hour learning about the condition, learning of possible therapies that might assist, and implementing as many of them as we could afford. As Max grew older and still wasn't able to verbalize anything, this behavior and the meltdowns became more and more intense and frequent. With the support of our family, friends and selective resources we worked hard with Max to try and close these gaps and in turn make life as bearable/ enjoyable/ fulfilling for him as we could.  

A couple of years on and Max is now almost 7 and attending a regular school, and is able to exercise a considerable amount of self control over his frustration and triggers of meltdowns. I attend school with Max as his aid so that his teachers and peers can learn how to adapt and help Max so that he can maximize his inclusion socially. 

From the time Max was diagnosed, I turned to running as a way to cope with the stress of everything that was happening. I soon found that these 5am runs also became my thinking time and it became quite relaxing. Last year i completed my first full marathon and I became inspired to do something bigger to raise both awareness and also much needed funding for those not-for-profit organizations who work so hard to support parents and guardians of people with ASD. 

Autism Tasmania is the first port of call for new parents/guardians to contact in such a confusing and scary time. They were there for me when I needed to pick up the phone and get much needed guidance and I don't know what I would have done without them. Autism Tasmania provides support groups (which I found invaluable in our early years), a library of resources, events and much more for people in need. But they need our help! This is a not- for-profit organization of amazing people who are very devoted to supporting and helping others.

Now it's my turn to give something back and I need your help. 

Please donate as much as you can, no amount is too small and above $2 is tax deductible. In return for your gracious generosity I will run the 64 km Bruny Island Ultra Marathon (to say I'm scared is an understatement!) to raise awareness about Autism and the marathon that is a life lived with it. 

Please spread the word about my cause to everyone you think might want to help, and Max and I will be forever in your debt. 

Many Thanks 

Gabby