A touching message

I got a letter yesterday from a young man in North Carolina. He had read one of the interviews I had done about the project and wanted to order a copy of BOTS. I was very moved when I read his letter so I wanted to share it here. I'll leave out his name to protect his anonimity. His letter reads...

"To the makers of BOTS,

I am a 23 year old man with Asperger's Syndrome. I say this because I would like Mr. Carcieri to know how much I appreciate his message of "letting people live their lives and raise their families as they choose". When I was diagnosed in 1994-and even afterwards-I never thought too much about what adults (teachers and the like) thought about my "differences". But, as my mother has told me in recent times, she had it suggested to her more than once by many of these people that she should try to stamp out many of my behaviors with punishment, or try to force me into social situations I wanted no part of. But she never did. She never tried to stop me from pacing, thinking out loud, etc... She let my life at home be just that, and is one of the major factors (maybe even THE MAIN) that led to me accepting who I am as an adult. So with the money enclosed, I would like to purchase a copy of BOTS and thank you for spreading the message."

When I began this project, I hoped to raise some awareness about Autism and some funds for the Autism Society of America. It's letters like that one that have made this project one of my proudest accomplishments.

thank you