Our little man

As a parent, one of your worst fears is that you can't do right by your child. Sadly this fear became a reality for us.

Our son, Cayden is 8 years old and on the autistic spectrum. He was diagnosed at age 2. I can remember that day like it was yesterday, the influx of emotions hitting you all at once, followed by the fear of having to care for and do right by him.

Autism is such a diverse thing, it's not one glove fits all; it may be a life of uncertainty but it's a beautiful life filled with so much fulfillment.

Cayden struggles with his speech and he needs occupational therapy along with other therapies and school. He did so well at school but sadly we couldn't afford it anymore. There's no immediate assistance from the government for autistic children in South Africa. You get placed on a waiting list for years before you get any assistance. If you want to help your child, you have to pay up or they just become another statistic. Medical insurance won't even cover his medicine because they don't classify autism as a health condition.

We have been trying to get Cayden back to school and his therapies but it became nearly impossible with my wife's declining health. She was forced to give up her job and with covid I didn't bring in nearly enough money. We are fighting to stay afloat. Each day we live in fear that we're going to lose our house. We feel horrible as parents that we can't send Cayden back to school. Each day he asks to go to school. He craves interaction from children his own age. More than anything, we just want to help our son thrive in this world. He already has such a big battle ahead of him.

We have set up this page to ask for help for Cayden so he can be given stability and everything else he needs.