Erin Mallants Rodriguez

whateverlife.comOur two little sweethearts have Autism. It's a complicated disorder that affects 1 in every 150 kids in the U.S. We believe strongly that the vaccinations our children received (containing the preservative, Thimerosal -- which is a form of Mercury) -- caused our sons to develop Autism. We also believe our younger son, Frankie, is proof that they both had a predisposition to getting it, because we stopped his vaccinations right after 12 months -- and his symptoms are MUCH LESS severe compared to his older brother, Tony, who received all of them.
That is our life now. I had always wanted to have 4 kids. I still dream of having a girl one day. But that dream has been altered. I'd like the chance to be a Mom to a "normal" kid (boy or girl)... But the PC term is "typical" -- not normal. We know so much we didn't know before about Autism. Not everyone who has it is like Dustin Hoffman's character in the movie "Rain Man"... Well, I take that back, for some people it is like that -- but what I really mean to say is that EVERY single person with Autism is unique. Tony has "perfect pitch" -- which is the musical ability to hear a song, notes, sounds, and replicate them EXACTLY. He plays the piano -- started playing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" at age 2... and by 3 was playing "Silent Night," "Amazing Grace," "The House of the Rising Sun," etc. (my favorite is "The Entertainer"). He also has incredible math and reading abilities. He can add mutiply, divide, subtract (not just simple numbers, but HUGE complex numbers)... and the reading -- well, at 2 years old he was reading off the map phonetically "Oklahoma Kitty" (instead of "city")... and we would get a birthday party invitation in the mail and he would say "come kelebrate with us" (instead of celebrate).
And we do have lots to celebrate. Our kids are really amazing -- despite their Autism. They are more and more in our world each day. I would do anything, anything at all to help them get better... Who wouldn't??