I Do it with a Style that is My Own...

 

*You may re-pin this poster & others on my Pinterest page at this blog site.

*Poster photo courtesy of Pinterest

A few weeks ago I was browsing around on Pinterest...

AND... I came upon the poster above. 

It touched my heart. So I re-pinned IT to my "Make a Statement" board on my Pinterest Page. Why? Well, for one reason we know a few families with autistic children.

But mostly, because this poster (above) speaks volumes while touching your heart! 

*Photo of Folk Art Magnet (above) is courtesy of Pinterest from etsy.com

You will find this Folk Art Magnet Photo posted on my "Art to My Eyes" pinterest board. See my Pinterest Page button on this Blog.

Fast forward, on the evening of February 8, 2012, I received very nice email from a young man. A very impressive young man. I quickly went to the sites he had listed.

WOW! This young man is not only impressive, he has a passion to share his cause and spread the word around the world about Autism. 

And, WHO better to do it than someone WHO LIVES IT?

~~~
I believe everything has a reason. 
Fact: I had recently posted two PINS on Pinterest regarding Autism. Then out of the BLUE...I get an email from Kerry.
It was meant to BE!

I will NOT attempt to write about this subject myself. I want someone who is qualified, to speak in the behalf of Autism.
I DO want to share this amazing young man with my blog readers. 

So, I will let him speak for himself and Autism. I highly encourage you to visit his Blog, Facebook and Twitter pages. He also has a youtube page.

All of his links are listed below.

Please see the email HE sent below...

*Photo taken from Google Images

Hello,

My name is Kerry and I wanted to congratulate you on being on eCollegeFinders Top 115 Parenting Blogs.

I was diagnosed on The Autism Spectrum when I was 4 years old. I have been advocating for disability awareness ever since I was in high school. Now as a young adult, I have started a daily video blog called “My Autism My Voice” which discusses several related autism topics. I appreciate what you are doing through the parenting community because I often consult for parents with young children with autism.

Besides from this I recently graduated from Seton Hall University and have been doing my best to help as an advocate in The Autism Community. I currently write a bi-weekly blog for Autism Speaks in relation to College with Autism. Through this opportunity I have started speaking at schools across New Jersey about disability awareness along with my experience on The Spectrum. I am also in the midst of finishing my first novel along with retooling my website which you can find here.

If you can, I would love if you could forward my video blog to anyone who you think may have use for it. One of my biggest missions through this initiative is too get as many families involved as possible so we can help strengthen our community. You can follow my blog and or subscribe to my youtube page here to get started.

If you also have any thoughts about my blog, videos, or anything at all it would greatly appreciated. Thank so much for taking the time to read this email and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Best Regards,
Kerry Magro
Kerrymagro.com
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Kfm3415
Follow me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kerry-Magro/159413000779152

~~~
This poem written by Kerry speaks volumes....
AND I wanted to share it with you...


My Autism My voice

My Name is Kerry and I Have PDD-NOS

Kerry Magro pictured

*This is a poem I wrote that describes what autism means to me. You can find this blog on Autism Speaks Official Blog or through The SFGate*

My name is Kerry and I have Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified.

This means I have autism.

This does not mean I am autism.

This means I see the world sometimes in a different light.

This does not mean I’m in the dark.

This means from time to time I may have a difficulty expressing my emotions.

This does not mean I don’t feel.

This means when I communicate, I do it with a style that is my own.

This does not mean I don’t have a voice.

This means I may have sensitivity when it comes to a certain feel or touch.

This means sounds can sometimes make me feel uneasy.

This does not mean I’m deaf or hard of hearing.

This means I can often focus on certain interests for a long period of time.

This does not mean those are my only interests.

This means that I’m the only person in my family to have this.

This does not mean I’m alone.

This means I may have 500 other symptoms/capabilities that are different than yours.

This does not mean I’m any less of a person than you are.

My name is Kerry, and regardless of what PPD-NOS means or doesn’t mean, Autism can’t define me, I define Autism. I can only hope those individuals, regardless of being autistic or not can define their lives and their journeys in the way they see it.

~~~

Now you can see why I was so impressed with this young man. He is on a mission. A wonderful mission of love and understanding. I wanted to share his story with you and in turn help him to accomplish his goals. 

I have no doubt he will. 

There is strength in numbers!

Thank you Kerry for sharing your mission for Autism!

*A sentence in his poem above was used as the title for this article.
It will also be used for my sign-off tag...


I DO it with a Style that is My Own...@K.M.

@

*Photo taken from Google images.

**All photos were taken from Pinterest, Google Images or Kerry's website's