“When your child receives a diagnosis, it’s as if someone ripped your heart out. In 2018, I experienced this awful feeling. My daughter Nevaeh had been diagnosed with autism. I began to question everything. Did I stimulate her brain enough? Will she ever speak? Will she make friends? Will anyone bully her in school? How did this happen? Why is this happening? Though I felt every emotion in the book, I had to buckle down and fight. I educated myself and became her advocate. A few months later, I realized how lonely this journey can be. That’s when my fiancé and I decided to create Cookies and Disasters, a community where special needs parents unite and support one another. Why the name? Well, when Nevaeh began to attend speech therapy, cookie was the first word she said clearly. But essentially it means that there’s always something sweet within the everyday chaos. There comes a moment when you realize what you’re advocating for is more than just accommodations. You’re advocating for someone’s quality of life. That’s the moment you realize you won’t give up. Our hope in sharing our journey is to ensure other families that they’re not alone. Together we are a force. Together we are autism warriors.” @cookiesanddisasters