Participants: Cheri Peters (Host), Lisa Eliuk
Series Code: CLR
Program Code: CLR000129B
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00:01 The following program discusses sensitive issues
00:03 related to addictive behaviour. 00:05 Parents are cautioned that some material 00:06 may be too candid for younger children. 00:13 Welcome back. 00:15 You know, we are talking about 00:16 when everything in your life is going along pretty normally 00:21 and when I say normal, normal, 00:23 I haven't seen a lot of people that are normal. 00:25 I haven't, I heard a lot of those stories. 00:27 Even your story, Lisa, 00:29 when you talk about what happened at 19 and, 00:31 and, you know that changed everything, 00:33 your family dynamics and partying 00:35 and going crazy for a while 00:37 and then kind of settling and getting married, 00:40 getting a degree. 00:41 And so now you got your degree, 00:43 you got your education thing. 00:46 Your husband's going back to school too. 00:49 I mean all of that, everything is going well. 00:50 Faith is, I'm sure beautiful and fun, 00:54 and but in your life things started to turn 00:58 and take us there, 01:00 everything is going in one direction 01:02 and then all of a sudden there is a shift. 01:06 After we had finished our degrees, 01:09 actually I wasn't quite finished my degree 01:11 when I got my first job. 01:13 So I had about four classes to finish up 01:18 but I could get a letter of standing at the time 01:20 and I did that and I went to Regina, 01:23 Saskatchewan and taught 01:24 for my first year of teaching... 01:26 Mm-hmm, what grade? 01:28 It was a K to 6 at the time. 01:34 Okay, awesome. 01:35 And I was the principal, I taught multi grade, 01:40 I helped with the secretarial, everything. 01:43 So that was my first year of teaching. 01:46 And so, and I had Faith, 01:47 she was around between two and three at the time, 01:51 and my husband had finished up his education. 01:56 And we moved out, 01:58 we went to help the school in particular 02:03 because they didn't have a teacher 02:04 and it was getting pretty close to school starting. 02:07 And they weren't sure what they were going to do, 02:09 and so I took that call 02:12 and so I did it that, that year. 02:14 But during the year 02:16 my husband couldn't get employment there 02:18 and so... 02:20 They just didn't have enough funds 02:22 to hire another teacher. 02:23 No, and they didn't have students 02:25 and they were rebuilding the school 02:28 and so we started out actually with nine students. 02:32 And then by Christmas time we went up to 13, 02:35 and then for the next school year, 02:38 they actually had 23 students. 02:40 So that was fabulous for us with that school. 02:45 But in the mean time, 02:46 my husband during that school year 02:48 couldn't get the job in Regina 02:51 and so he ended up 02:52 actually going to Peace River, Alberta. 02:54 So then I was in charge of that school, 02:57 and I had my daughter 02:58 and he was at the Peace River, 03:00 Alberta and that was approximately 13 hours away. 03:04 Wow. 03:05 So right now, that's the strain on a family. 03:07 So you guys are having to deal with that kind of thing. 03:10 You are working and raising your daughter 03:12 and trying to do all that kind of stuff. 03:14 He is trying to survive and, 03:17 provide some income for everyone. 03:19 That's right. 03:20 So, I know that you, you were pregnant again. 03:23 You got pregnant again. 03:24 Was it during this time? 03:26 No, this was later on. Okay. 03:29 We were both living in Alberta, 03:32 and I was pregnant again around 03:36 five and half years later, 03:38 and my husband was working on the reserve at the time 03:43 in Hobbema in Alberta, 03:45 and so he was working there. 03:47 He had grade five, six classroom 03:49 and it was kind of... 03:52 So with First Nation. 03:53 Yes, with First Nation kids 03:55 and he actually did very well. 03:59 He had the lowest stand kids in the school and, 04:03 but it was really hard. 04:06 It was a day to day thing for him. 04:08 And I was actually scared he might in the end quit 04:11 and so it was like praying everyday, 04:15 "Lord pleases help Mark to be able 04:17 to go to school and to work today." 04:18 Yeah. 04:20 And then what I've got to say for people 04:21 that don't know about working in some school districts 04:24 as you have kids with learning disabilities, 04:27 fetal alcohol syndrome. 04:28 They have got chaos at home. 04:30 There's a lot of junk going on in their life. 04:33 And so as a teacher when you come in 04:35 and you've given out assignments 04:36 the night before, 04:38 you may not have anybody that's done their assignment. 04:41 So it's a different kind of teaching. 04:42 And so with Mark, he's got to, 04:44 he's got to put everything that he learned almost away 04:49 and figure out how to teach each one of these kids. 04:51 That's right 04:53 and what motivates them, 04:56 what appeals to them, 04:57 how to help them in a way, that they need to be helped. 05:01 And it wasn't just academic. 05:04 It was also being a role model 05:07 for them as well, so... 05:10 Lot of them didn't have father, 05:11 they had a father that may be in and out of jail 05:13 or in and out of alcoholism. 05:15 So that was a... 05:17 that was a really tough period for him, 05:19 and at the end of the year... 05:23 Well, during that time period, 05:25 we had our first son Andrew. 05:28 And so, we were really happy about that 05:33 because our daughter, 05:35 we've had her for six years 05:36 and we're really happy but we were, 05:40 you know, looking forward to having another child, 05:42 so there would be siblings, 05:44 so, and also during that time, 05:47 my husband got a call 05:48 to go to Williams Lake, British Columbia. 05:51 And so he decided to take that call. 05:55 So we moved there 05:57 and he taught in the high school 06:01 and that first year, 06:02 I actually started teaching in the resorts room, 06:06 so I worked with students 06:08 from grade 1 all the way to grade 12 06:11 in different subject areas. 06:13 So it was really, 06:15 it sounds like it was kind of what you guys wanted to do, 06:18 so it felt good. 06:19 It felt good... Yeah. 06:20 You know, we're both working in a great place. 06:25 We both believed in a Christian education 06:29 and we were nice little family unit 06:33 and we were really excited. 06:37 Sounds good, so what happened? 06:40 Well, during those... 06:43 In Williams Lake, we stayed three years 06:45 and for the first year I worked in the resorts room, 06:48 and then after that they had to cut a position 06:52 and that was the position that was cut. 06:54 And so then I didn't have a position 06:57 and I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do, 07:00 my husband was still working at the school, 07:02 so that was okay. 07:03 But the... 07:05 'cause we had to pay for our own schooling 07:09 and payday loans, 07:11 we both needed to be working, 07:13 so I wasn't sure 07:14 what I was going to do to be quite honest 07:16 and last minute, 07:20 I got a call to Hazelton SDA School 07:25 in British Columbia. 07:26 I love Hazelton. 07:27 You know, it's a really poor town 07:29 but it is beautiful 'cause I mean, 07:31 I think their industry dropped off at one point. 07:33 Yes. 07:35 So they have lost some of the major businesses there. 07:37 Yes. Yeah 07:39 So I ended up going there actually 07:43 and to help with that school 07:45 and so I started about three days 07:47 before school actually started. 07:50 So I went to Hazelton 07:52 and stayed with our school boy chair at the time. 07:57 And my husband was at home and he had the two children. 08:01 Okay. 08:02 So it was another time where it was very hard. 08:07 I didn't like being away from them. 08:08 Right. 08:10 And I know that there was a time 08:12 where you started to notice some things 08:14 that were very different with your kids. 08:16 Yes. 08:18 And talk about that 08:19 so with not so much Faith but your son. 08:21 Right. 08:23 With Andrew during that time... 08:26 Well, I was away that year, I didn't see him as often 08:28 because I would drive back and forth 08:30 as many weekends as I could. 08:32 It was an eight hour drive 08:33 and but when I came back the next year, 08:36 I stayed at Williams Lake, 08:38 and I chose to be there with my husband 08:40 and stay with him and I did started noticing 08:45 when I took Andrew out of church, 08:49 just dealing with him in general, 08:52 he wasn't talking and... 08:54 How old was he? 08:55 He was around three. 08:57 Okay. 08:58 And if it was, it was sounds, 09:00 it was very limited, 09:03 very hyper into a lot of things, 09:08 and I knew something was going on 09:09 but I wasn't sure what. 09:13 It was kind of interesting 09:15 when I first went to Williams Lake, 09:18 and I had gone into the school. 09:21 There was a little boy 09:23 who lived right behind the school 09:25 and he had gotten out of his housing yard 09:29 and he had walked down to the school, 09:32 he had come into the school 09:34 and his parents didn't know he was gone 09:37 and we happen to be circulating, 09:40 and I saw this little boy in the kindergarten room. 09:43 And I said oh, I said, you know, 09:45 I went to one of the staff, 09:46 I said, there is little boy here in the school, 09:48 is he your son? 09:49 And they said no. 09:50 They said, "This is the neighbor's son." 09:54 And they said, "He goes to school here, 09:59 he's just starting school." 10:00 But they said "he has autism." 10:02 So they said, he, 10:04 you know sometimes will leave his house 10:08 and come down here and that's what he did. 10:10 Mm-hm 10:12 And that was my first touch of autism. 10:17 The first time that you saw another kid and said, okay, 10:20 I get that and you can kind of see it in him. 10:23 I'm not able to really look at you 10:25 or communicate in the same way. 10:28 And... 10:30 But what you found out that, 10:32 that autism is gonna head it closer than you think. 10:36 That's right. 10:37 I didn't know at the time... 10:38 Yeah. 10:40 But I feel in my heart it was almost... 10:44 God letting me know ahead of time. 10:46 Okay. 10:47 You got the education, you're in early education. 10:51 You are working with kids. 10:53 Now you're seeing these disabilities 10:54 and you're thinking, 10:56 at home you had a son who is not talking yet. 10:59 Yes, and so what happened was as my husband 11:03 and I ended up taking him to the doctors 11:05 and we said, 11:06 "We are not sure what's going on 11:07 but we know there's something going on." 11:09 And as soon as she saw 11:12 and started watching and observing 11:13 and she says "So I'm putting in a referral right away." 11:16 And so, 11:19 another person who really helped us 11:22 deal with that was 11:24 the principal's wife at the time. 11:26 She was actually working with that little boy that I had met. 11:30 And she had thought that maybe my son was on the spectrum. 11:34 But she didn't want to hurt me or hurt my feelings 11:37 that she didn't know how to go about it. 11:39 She didn't know how to say to you. 11:41 Have you paid attention to this? 11:42 That's right. 11:44 'Cause we don't know how to say that, 11:46 is it we love each other 11:48 and these are some serious things 11:50 and you don't want to say it to someone, 11:52 you know heads off, I would get this checked. 11:54 That's right. 11:56 And so people are usually quiet. 11:57 Mm-hmm. 11:59 In this instant, I'm really happy she did. 12:03 Mm-hmm. 12:05 'Cause our meeting went on for 12:06 even the longer period of time 12:09 because in my husband side of the family, 12:11 they didn't talk until later on. 12:13 And so, it wasn't so much I thought, well, 12:16 oh, well maybe he has a speech delay 12:19 or may be he has ADHD. 12:22 I never actually thought of autism at the time. 12:25 Mm-hmm. 12:26 And so with her help, 12:29 I found out actually the very day I found out... 12:34 What did she actually say to you at first 12:36 or how did she broach the subject? 12:41 Well, she came up to me and she was talking to me 12:44 and we had a good rapport. 12:46 So, and she knew that I was wondering about Andrew 12:52 and she started talking to me and she said, you know, 12:58 this is what I've seen 12:59 and this is what I've worked within. 13:01 You know, have you maybe approach to doctor, 13:03 a pediatrician, 13:05 and she's trying to be 13:06 as nice as possible about going about it. 13:09 So and, I was pretty open 13:16 and I was friendly about it and stuff like that 13:20 and I thought, well, you know, 13:21 I'll go and I'll do it and just to see, you know, 13:24 what is going on and stuff like that. 13:26 So I took it okay. 13:27 And in the mean time my husband had... 13:34 We had worked for three years and he... 13:38 There again positions were changing 13:40 and so I had an opportunity to go to Hazelton. 13:43 And so, the day that we're already packed up 13:48 and ready to move 13:50 and pull out with the moving truck 13:52 was the actual day that I got the results back 13:55 and they told me and I relayed it to Mark 13:58 because I was going to talk with him. 14:00 They told you what? 14:01 They said, "Well, you know, 14:02 your son has autism, don't you?" 14:05 And I was like, 14:07 "No, not at all." 14:09 I really, 14:11 I really didn't have any idea and it was a shock. 14:16 Even when somebody saying it that, I don't, 14:18 I don't care how obvious something looks. 14:21 When you love somebody, you don't want to see it. 14:24 That's right. 14:25 And so what you were saying is, "No, I don't know that, 14:28 this cannot be happening." 14:30 What do you mean by that? 14:33 You know, and I could imagine... 14:36 Well, how did you feel, I mean, I can't imagine. 14:39 I mean, I really can't imagine, 14:41 how did you feel that moment 14:42 when you had to take that news? 14:45 I was crushed. 14:47 I felt like all my hopes and dreams 14:49 kind of were gone. 14:52 I wasn't sure exactly at that point 14:56 what it all meant. 14:59 And I knew life would be different 15:02 but I wasn't sure how? 15:04 Mm-hmm. 15:05 And then I was like, what are we going to do? 15:08 We are moving from a bigger center 15:11 now to a little place 15:13 and there really isn't any services around us. 15:16 The closest services are like 15:17 45 minutes to an hour and half away. 15:20 What are we going to do with our son? 15:24 So you're talking about 15:25 education is going to be very different. 15:27 Mm-hmm. 15:28 That kind of support that 15:29 you're having is gonna be very different. 15:31 That's right 15:32 You have to get someone to teach you 15:33 how to teach or interact with this child. 15:36 That's right. 15:37 And, and, but, 15:39 I think that's brilliant that you said 15:41 that the resources are not gonna be there 15:42 in this little town. 15:44 So what do we do? 15:45 What did you do? 15:47 Well, we got to the town 15:50 and we started getting set up with services. 15:53 I was fortunate enough 15:55 because I had been there before. 15:57 I had friends in the community 15:59 and my friends started setting me up, 16:02 okay, well, you can get services here, 16:04 you know this is the good person 16:06 and so forth. 16:07 And so I had a good 16:11 another people that I could go to, 16:14 to talk to. 16:15 Would you say to somebody 16:16 that's feeling with something like this is make sure 16:18 you get that in another people. 16:19 Definitely. Yeah. 16:21 You... 16:23 Don't do this by yourself. 16:24 No because it's very easy to do it alone 16:29 and make a lot of mistakes. 16:32 Mm-hmm. 16:33 Did you research stuff? 16:34 I mean, to me I'm a researcher, 16:36 I think I get some control if I can say, okay, 16:39 what is it, 16:40 and what do I need to know about it 16:41 and what are the stats, did you do any of that thing? 16:44 And what did you learn, if you did that? 16:46 I did lot of research at the time 16:48 'cause I wanted to do 16:49 whatever I could to help my son. 16:51 Yeah. 16:53 And so I researched, 16:56 there is... 16:58 There is all kinds of different ways 17:00 to help your child with autism, 17:02 so there is all kinds of different therapies, 17:05 there is biomedical treatments, 17:08 and there is having a Dan doctor 17:09 to treat autism now. 17:12 There is a... 17:14 You have to start looking into behavior plans, 17:18 behavior consultants, behavior interventionist, 17:20 speech specialist, OTs... 17:23 Everything changed for you. 17:25 Everything, everything literally. 17:28 Even, even, you know, 17:31 we talks a long time ago. 17:33 But it's like that from that point 17:34 I started to really look at. 17:36 If that happened to me what will I learn, 17:38 and I was surprised like 1 in 68 children 17:41 on the spectrum... 17:43 That's right. 17:44 Of autism at some level. 17:45 I mean, and so 17:47 you were learning that kind of thing, is it, 17:48 this is not a problem that's kind of out there, 17:50 this is huge issue, and what would I do now? 17:55 Can you show me your son 17:56 'cause I know you brought some pictures? 17:58 This is Andrew. 18:00 So he is the one that was our first son with autism. 18:06 And to me I'm looking at him and he is just, 18:10 you know as a baby, 18:11 and as you held him, as you nursed him, 18:14 all that stuff is that a beautiful kid. 18:18 Thank you 18:19 Right, so you are learning all this. 18:21 When were you pregnant, 18:23 'cause you were pregnant again? 18:25 Yes, but it wasn't until 6 years later. 18:29 So in the mean time we lived in British Columbia, 18:34 we taught there 18:35 and then we decided to move to New Brunswick, 18:41 so I was going back to my roots. 18:44 And my father had moved into special care room. 18:48 So we had actually moved into the house 18:50 where I had grown up in. 18:52 And so, when we had moved to New Brunswick 18:55 about two or three weeks later I found out that 18:57 I was pregnant with my third child. 19:00 In all this craziness going on. 19:02 Yes. 19:05 How were you surviving then? 19:07 Were you okay? 19:08 I was surviving 19:13 but I found out while I was in New Brunswick, 19:17 I thought it was going to be different than 19:19 what I had imagined. 19:21 I thought it was gonna be so wonderful, 19:23 I was getting to go back home, 19:25 I was getting to go back to my roots, 19:26 my family was around. 19:28 Before we had moved there, 19:31 I had called different schools and professionals 19:34 to ask them about their systems, you know, 19:37 and would my son will be able to get therapies 19:39 and will we able to get jobs as teachers, 19:42 'cause there are two school districts 19:43 where we were moving, so I thought this is great. 19:45 You know, we both have employment, 19:47 there will be services for our son, 19:50 this is gonna be wonderful and... 19:52 But you don't worry, I just got to say that, 19:54 you know, 19:56 so in your public eye 19:58 you are still doing all the normal things. 20:00 You're still doing everything that, 20:02 I'm getting a job, 20:03 I'm going in and I'm socializing 20:06 and people are networking and all that kind of stuff. 20:08 When that door shut in, you are at home, 20:11 what was that like for you and Mark, and the kids? 20:18 It was almost like another side. 20:19 Yeah. 20:20 I bet. 20:22 Nobody really knew. 20:26 It seems like people don't really understand 20:30 what it's like to live with a child 20:35 with special needs on the spectrum 20:37 unless they have one themselves. 20:43 Behind closed doors it was really tough. 20:48 We had a child who, 20:52 he wasn't potty trained till he was 9 years old. 20:54 Mm-hmm. 20:55 And I was scared that 20:57 I wasn't going to be able to potty train this child. 21:02 His speech was very much sporadic 21:04 and he was considered non-verbal. 21:07 He had sensory issues and he continuous to, 21:10 where loud noises, 21:14 touch, taste, smell everything is heightened. 21:19 Also when he wasn't... 21:22 when he wasn't dealing with those things, 21:24 I mean, you have safety issues. 21:26 There is one day 21:28 and I was pregnant with my third son 21:30 where we were just coming outside 21:33 and he had gotten away from me 21:36 and I called him "Andrew stop." 21:39 And I really believe his guardian angel was there 21:42 'cause he kept running 21:43 and there was a car that came out down the road fast 21:48 and literally it was around a couple of inches 21:51 and that car would hit him. 21:53 So there was different things that happened 21:57 that nobody really knows about, 21:58 nobody really understands that, 22:00 when you have to deal with all those issues, 22:03 when you have to deal with a child who... 22:09 you know, can't toilet themselves 22:12 and you have to clean their messes 22:15 day after day after day, 22:17 and it's not just in their diapers, 22:20 it's smearing, it's walls, 22:22 it's carpets, it's items, 22:23 it's everything. 22:25 Nobody really knows 22:27 what those people have to go through. 22:30 You know I'm glad that you, that you could be that honest. 22:33 Because that's what I'm saying is that all the other stuff, 22:36 all the stats, all they tell, 22:38 everything they tell you to do. 22:39 But when you shut that door 22:41 and you say no one prepared me for this, 22:44 and this is a child that I love. 22:47 Yes. 22:48 Beyond what you could imagine, 22:50 I love but I can't say to him 22:52 "Go clean up your room or stop, you need to behave." 22:54 That's right. 22:56 'Cause he doesn't hear me. 22:58 How's Faith and Mark during that time? 23:02 During that time, 23:06 Faith as a child and she kind of use it as, 23:11 you know, my brother, 23:13 he gets everything kind of idea, 23:15 like he gets extra attention, he gets extra support, 23:18 all these things. 23:20 Nobody sees me. 23:21 Nobody see me. 23:23 She was such a wonderful support 23:27 with Mark and I, 23:28 she would do what she could at the same time 23:31 to help us out with her brother. 23:35 Mark at the time, it's rough, 23:38 it's your son, 23:40 he is the... 23:41 your son is supposed to carry on your name. 23:43 You have hopes and dreams for your son, 23:45 it's not materializing 23:47 and you have all these different things 23:49 that are happening 23:50 and going on in your house behind closed doors, 23:52 and it's really hard to deal with 23:54 and I think it's sometimes 23:57 very difficult for men in a different way. 24:00 In what way, 24:02 'cause you watched him, and, you know, 24:04 you love him 24:06 Yes. 24:07 You see him have hope or give up. 24:09 That's right. 24:11 With Mark I think it, 24:13 it hurts at a very deep level 24:17 and it's hard to talk about, it's hard to explain. 24:22 Seeing your son like that, 24:24 sometimes it can even be embarrassing, 24:27 and it's not that 24:28 you don't love your son, you do. 24:32 It's just that, it's really hard to deal with 24:37 and then at the same time, 24:39 you have to go on with your day to day life 24:42 like as if nothing ever happened. 24:44 You know, and I can't... 24:48 I want to say that there is a hope 24:51 that I have from the very first part of my recovery, 24:55 then the very first part of finding God 24:57 is my hope is the day after resurrection. 25:00 When we woke up 25:01 and we don't have these diseases, 25:03 we don't have this spectrum, 25:05 we don't have hearts that don't work 25:07 and all that kind of stuff. 25:08 We really wake up on the other side of all these, 25:11 but until we get to the other side, 25:13 what keeps you alive, 25:14 what keeps you guys functioning, 25:16 what gives you hope 25:17 and what are you doing right now 25:19 'cause I know that, you know, 25:21 we don't have a lot of time, 25:22 but what are you doing right now 25:23 as for to help, 25:28 to help your son, 25:29 to help Andrew? 25:31 With Andrew I got it... 25:36 I networked, 25:38 I researched and met as many people as I could, 25:42 read books, 25:45 tried to get as many services 25:48 as possible for him to help him 25:52 to be the best person that he could be 25:55 'cause a lot of us have a real worry. 25:58 We have a worry that, you know, 26:01 will my child be able to when they are 18, 19 years old. 26:06 Will they be able to, 26:09 if you are fortunate enough to be able 26:11 to go to college or university, 26:13 and if you are not fortunate enough, 26:15 you are worrying about 26:17 will my son end up in a group home 26:19 or in an institution, 26:20 who will take care of them after I'm gone? 26:23 Will there be anybody to care of them after I'm gone. 26:26 These are some huge fears. 26:31 That is hard to deal with and I found for myself that... 26:37 I never blamed God. 26:39 Why? 26:40 'Cause I didn't think it was him. 26:41 Okay. 26:43 I believed it's sin 26:45 and everything that comes with it. 26:48 You know, and I have that same belief, Lisa, 26:50 so I'm glad you said that is that sometimes 26:52 we want to blame God like why did you let this happen? 26:54 Why did things like this happen to kids? 26:57 And we do live in a world that is damaged, 26:59 and we are hurting ourselves and the world. 27:03 I mean, even the water is polluted 27:04 in a lot of places. 27:06 You know, I'm looking at what happened 27:09 just recently in the news where, 27:11 you know, there is lead in the water 27:12 and that's causing disabilities to these kids 27:15 that are off the chart, 27:17 so I really believe that God is that, 27:19 and supporting here. 27:20 But I still, I look at you 27:22 and I'm thinking that when I talked to you, 27:24 every time I've talked to you, I see a woman of hope, 27:28 I see you're driven, 27:30 you're looking for the next thing 27:31 and the next thing. 27:33 How do you do that day in and day out? 27:38 Prayer, 27:40 at first every day 27:43 I'm always talking to God in my mind, 27:45 you know, "Lord, please give me wisdom, 27:49 please give me strength, 27:52 help me to deal with 27:54 whatever I need to deal with today. 27:57 Help me to be the best person that I can be. 28:00 Help me to reach out to whoever I need to reach out to. 28:04 Help me to help my family and so forth." 28:08 I know from everything 28:11 that I've gone through in my life that, 28:14 I can't deny God 28:15 'cause I know he is there 28:17 'cause when I couldn't do it, he carried me. 28:20 So I can't deny, he is there. 28:22 So in the midst of this situation 28:25 where you're saying not a... 28:27 hardly anybody has the answers for me. 28:30 Nobody can tell me, you know, 28:31 just you've given this, 28:32 just have them do this, 28:34 just feed him well, he is gonna be well, 28:36 nobody is saying any of that stuff. 28:38 You say God has faithful. 28:40 God as faithful. 28:43 Right now, how old is he now? 28:44 Andrew is 13. 28:46 Thirteen? And you had another son? 28:47 I had another son William. 28:49 And William, is he dealing with autism? 28:51 Yes, he is. 28:53 So you have two sons That's right 28:55 Both dealing with autism That's right. 28:57 So when you shut the door now, you're saying it, 29:01 you take that and it's not twice as intense. 29:06 'cause some people say 29:07 that's probably twice as intense. 29:09 No at times it's probably off the chart. 29:13 Yes. 29:16 Well with, with the boys 29:19 and their autism they are very different. 29:23 William is able to talk and William... 29:30 Let me show, let me see William 29:32 'cause William is, is... 29:37 so cute. Thank you. 29:42 So this is William, 29:43 and he is very different than Andrew. 29:47 He loves to learn, his fun is learning. 29:52 It's like A, B, C's, numbers, 29:54 shapes, colors, safari animals, 29:56 planets, you name it, 29:58 he loves to learn it. 30:00 But he also has attention seeking behaviors. 30:03 So he might 30:07 for instance go into your bathroom 30:09 and take your shampoo and conditioner 30:11 and completely cover the floor and the tub. 30:18 That's just one example. Yeah. 30:20 I mean, you know, 30:21 he could take pair of scissors and poke holes in the walls. 30:26 He is a picker. 30:28 So, and what I mean by... 30:29 Where he picks himself? 30:31 Well, he will, say for instance, 30:33 if he had chapped lips, 30:35 he would pick, and pick, and pick 30:36 until they are rock or if he saw like, 30:40 say for instance if he poked a hole in the wall 30:41 and then there was a hole and shaving. 30:44 So he keeps picking, 30:46 and picking up the hole in the wall. 30:47 So he does all kinds of different things. 30:51 Safety, he doesn't realize 30:53 when he run out in the street you can get hit and killed. 30:56 So, and he did leave our house one day. 31:01 He left our house 31:03 and I really believe God was with him. 31:08 He left our house 31:10 and my husband and I went out looking for him 31:13 in our neighborhood right around 31:15 and we went to the neighbors and, 31:16 you know, we explained to them, our son has autism. 31:19 This is what he looks like. 31:21 Have you seen him and so forth? 31:23 And my husband was like, 31:25 I'm gonna get into the truck 31:27 and I'm gonna start driving around 31:28 the neighborhood to see where he is. 31:30 So he started to get out of his truck 31:31 while I was going to the neighbors 31:33 and all of a sudden 31:34 as I was coming out of neighbor's house. 31:36 I had seen a police car come by our street, 31:38 and so I thought, 31:40 I'm gonna run up to the police car 31:41 and tell them because my next step was, 31:43 I was gonna call 911 and tell them the situation. 31:46 So I went out to the policemen, 31:49 and I told them the situation 31:50 and he says, oh, he says, 31:52 "I think I know where your son is" so... 31:56 Don't you loved that smile, 31:58 you think, no what is he going? 32:01 So he says, 32:02 "Hop in and I'll take you to where I think he is." 32:04 Yes. 32:06 So I got in the car with the policeman 32:07 and he had taken me up at least 4 or 5 streets 32:11 and over and what my son had done was is, 32:16 he had gone all the way across the streets, 32:18 went into another street 32:20 and there just happened to be a family 32:22 who had just moved into the neighborhood 32:25 and they were having a house warming party. 32:27 And so there was people there 32:32 and the door happened to be open 32:35 and so he went in the house, 32:37 so we went up the stairs 32:38 and right down to the end of the hallway 32:40 and grandma was laying in bed, 32:42 and all of a sudden, 32:43 she's seen this little boy come in and it's like, 32:46 who are you type of idea. 32:48 And of course with William, 32:50 he can talk but he is not going to tell you well, 32:54 my name is William Eliuk 32:55 and I live such and such, right. 32:57 So he is not talking, 32:59 he is not saying anything to anybody and, 33:02 but he did bring his iPad with him. 33:04 So they are looking to see if there is any identification 33:07 and there wasn't, 33:08 so they are trying to figure out 33:09 "Who is this little boy and where did he come from?" 33:11 right? 33:13 And they knew there is something little different 33:14 so one of the ladies who happened to be there, 33:17 she said, "I have a friend with the child 33:19 who is autism 33:20 and I have a feeling this is the child with autism." 33:23 And so they had made the connection 33:26 and had called the police station 33:28 and so that's what made the cruiser come out 33:30 and when I saw the cruiser, 33:32 I had just happened to see the cruiser, 33:34 and you know, ran up to them waving my hand, 33:37 and so it all worked together. 33:39 So that's why I say, 33:40 I really believe God was working with us 33:44 so that he didn't get hurt and so I made the connection. 33:47 Right. 33:49 I'm gonna for once say, man, I can't even, 33:53 that your strength just is amazing to me, 33:55 it's inspiring to me, I can't, 33:57 because I don't know 33:58 what I feels like to be in your skin. 34:00 I don't know what it feels like when you shut those doors. 34:02 But I do know that you love these kids. 34:04 And so we're going to come back, 34:06 we have like 3 minutes and I, 34:08 you're doing a fund raiser, 34:10 I want to talk about when we come back. 34:11 I don't do this much on this program 34:13 but I'm gonna talk about that when we come back. 34:15 Will you join me? Yes. 34:16 We're gonna take a break. 34:18 Sometimes there is no bow, there is no way to tie this up, 34:21 there is no way to say and everything is all good. 34:25 The only thing I can say about 34:27 some of our circumstances is that we get up anyway. 34:30 We get up anyway, we learn what we have to do, 34:33 we get through the day, and we love our kids. 34:36 We'll be right back, 34:37 stay with us Celebrating Life In Recovery. |
Revised 2016-09-29