A few years ago, a Newsweek article told us about Hillary Toucey, a single mother of three living in Louisiana. Toucey’s life was, as you might imagine, difficult.
Well actually, most of us probably couldn’t imagine her life. Besides struggling to support her children by herself, Toucey’s two sons, Jonah and Eli, had been with diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Eli’s autism was severe on the spectrum, and he’d also been diagnosed with “cerebral palsy, celiac disease, epilepsy, and asthma.”
At the time of the article, Toucey wasn’t just Eli’s primary caregiver, she was his only one.
While Toucey’s case was, perhaps, exceptional, the stress she was under wasn’t. “One 2009 study found that the mothers of older autistic children had levels of the stress-related hormone cortisol similar to those found in combat soldiers and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.”
Continue reading BreakPoint – Autism and Totally Pro-Life: Helping to Bear the Burden
