As a physician, a proud father to an incredible son with autism, and a lifelong advocate for neurodiversity, I find Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s recent comments deeply offensive, harmful, and fundamentally incorrect. To say that autism “destroys families” and “destroys our greatest resource” not only perpetuates damaging stereotypes…. it dehumanizes the very children and individuals he claims to care about. Autism is not a tragedy. The real tragedy lies in the stigma, misinformation(as he continue to perpetuate in his talk on this topic), and lack of support that individuals with autism and their families too often face. My son is not “destroyed.” He is bright, resilient, curious, and full of potential. His diagnosis of lamb Schaefer syndrome nor autism define his potential, despite what RFK may say. He may see and interact with the world differently but different does not mean broken. Autism is a part of who he is, and it does not diminish his value as a person or as a member of our community. Language like this sets us back. It implies blame, shame, and fear instead of promoting acceptance, understanding, and inclusion. As a society, we should be striving to create environments where every child, with autistism or without, can thrive, be celebrated, and contribute in meaningful ways. Lastly, I do not want to diminish some of the struggles that families with children with autism go through, because they are present and real, but these struggles are only exacerbated by speeches, comments, and misinformation like RFK continues to give. We must do better than this. Our children deserve better than this. #autism #proud #parents #autismawareness #dad #family
All families with children on the autism spectrum look different. Some face profound daily challenges that can be incomprehensible. Some of these challenges I may never face and may never understand. Some are still grieving the life they imagined for their child. I know my wife and I still grieve at times with the thought that I’ll ever may never play regular sports or live independently. Some are filled with joy at every hard-earned milestone. Most experience all of it, sometimes all in the same day. This journey is incredibly hard and every parent deserves compassion, support, and understanding. But what our children do not deserve is to be dehumanized. I don’t know if my son Oliver will ever pay taxes, play baseball, live independently, write a poem, or go on a date. And that's okay. Because none of those things determine his worth. What I do know is this: Oliver is incredibly strong. He is joyful beyond measure. He is kind. He is deeply loved and deeply loves. And we never let his diagnosis define his potential. So when the Secretary of Health and Human Services someone who should be championing all children uses his platform to spread fear, stigma, and long-debunked myths… we have to speak up. No, Mr. Kennedy, autism is not something “we are doing to our children.” Autistic children are our children. And they are not less because they are different. #autism #autismawareness #asd #father #parents #parenting #advocacy
If you are a runner and saying that a downhill course doesn’t count as a PR or shouldn’t count as a BQ….. Boston is a downhill course…. 😂😂😂 There’s this idea that if you run a downhill course and hit a Boston qualifying time, it somehow doesn’t ‘really count.’ But think about how flawed that is. We don’t disqualify PRs because of a cool day, a strong tailwind, or a flat course. Runners train for months, fight through pain, push through every mile—if they meet the standard, they earned it. Downhill or not, it’s still 26.2 miles. Let’s stop cherry-picking what qualifies effort and start celebrating the grind behind every finish line.
Here is some motivation for Marathon Monday. @May | Runner 🏃🏾♀️☀️ you are incredible #marathon #motivation #marathonmonday #bostonmarathon #donotgiveup