“If you could take away your son’s autism, would you?”

As soon as she finished the sentence, I took a deep breathe in and paused for a moment.

I’ve been asked this question many times before and my answer will always be the same.

No.

If I took away my son’s autism, I’d be taking away who my son truly is.

Autism is vibrantly flowing through his veins like a beautiful rainbow.

It’s intricately wired into his brain and creates a world that’s exceptional and unique.

It’s pumping through his gentle heart that’s filled with innocence and joy.

It glistens in his eyes and shines brightly through his smile and laughter.

It makes him dance to the beat of his own drum and he doesn’t care who’s watching.

So why would I want to take that away from him?

I’m not dismissing the fact that autism can be hard.

But so many other things in life are difficult too.

We take the good days with the bad and find joy in the little moments that most people wouldn’t even notice.

We don’t take things for granted and we’re always celebrating little wins.

We’ve learned to adapt and shift gears as needed.

Our life is very different.

It’s loud.

It’s messy.

It’s extraordinary.

And it’s a roller coaster of emotions.

But I wouldn’t change any of it.

Not even for one day.

Autism is not a tragedy.

It’s not something to be afraid of.

It’s not something we should be ashamed of or embarrassed to talk about.

Autism is not something I’d ever wish to be taken away from my son.

But rather embrace it, with an abundance of love, compassion and hope.