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Naperville
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Jack’s Mom

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As co-founder of Turning Pointe Autism Foundation, I was recently asked to write this article for Autism Awareness month.  I thought that being a journalism major and being completely immersed in the Autism community for the past two decades would make it an easy task.  I was wrong.  Autism awareness month holds a particularly special meaning this year as he turns 22 and ages out of “the system.” 

Shortly following his diagnosis nearly 22 years ago, I sat down and wrote a letter. I thought I could begin my story by sharing it with you now.

“Since May of 1999, Jack has been involved in an intensive therapy program known as Applied Behavioral Analysis.  He has a wonderful team of therapists who come into our home and work one-on-one with him 40 hours per week.  This would be the equivalent to a two-year-old holding down a full-time job.  Although we have been thrilled with his progress, it has been slow and he still has a long way to go.  We are so proud of him and yet still want so much more for him.  It is our mission to make our son’s life better; it is what he and so many other individuals like him deserve,” I wrote.

Fast forward almost 22 years and we cannot believe the young adult Jack has become. We are so proud of him. As hard as the journey was on our family, it was exponentially harder for him.  

Inspired by Jack Wolf, Turning Pointe has become a beacon for quality services and programming that enriches the lives of individuals and families on the autism spectrum.  This year as Jack turns 22, as the bus stops coming, as the services stop, it means we only have more work to do.  As adults, our loved ones need more, not less.  

So as autism awareness continues to grow, our mission at Turning Pointe continues to evolve.  We are more committed than ever to ensure a better life for all of our loved ones on the autism spectrum from adolescence to adulthood. 

I want to end with a quote my daughter, now 23, used in an essay in elementary school that embodied how she thought we as parents felt.  

“It is strange and somewhat painful to love so much, to want something so very, very badly and not quite get it. Imagine whatever it is that you wanted with every fiber of your being – a job, a home, a little peace of mind.  Then multiply that by a thousand and add forever.  That kind of yearning leaves a mark.  It is a look we see in the faces of other autism parents and we can spot it at 20 yards.  You want your child to get better so much that you literally become that desire.  It is the prayer you utter upon going to bed, the first thought upon waking, the mantra that floats into consciousness, bidden or unbidden, every 10 minutes of every day of every year of your life.”  

Though today Jack’s challenges may look different, the love and the yearning look the same.

Twenty years later . . . it still leaves a mark.

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Kim Wolf
Kim Wolf
Kim Wolf is co-founder of Turning Pointe Autism Foundation.

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