Meet Brady, my daughter who is Autistic.

This is Brady.

I have her permission to share all of this. She is 16 going on 17 and allows me to share our story, the parts that are threaded together, and her own.

Brady was born on a beautiful day in July. The trouble was that her due date was in October. She was born 12 weeks early weighing a whopping 1 lb 7 oz, just under a foot long, and spent 3 months in the hospital.

That’s my girl. I love her. She has brought a beauty and perspective to my life that I could never have imagined. I love her brain. Her life hasn’t been simple, but her journey has been worthy. She was diagnosed as autistic when she was 13.

RFK Jr can kiss my ass with the nonsense he spouted today. I’m livid.

She might never be as productive as a neurotypical person, but that doesn’t mean she’s broken, she needs a cure, she needs to be fixed.

Brady has more compassion in her little finger when she was born (and it was really small) than some people have in their whole body.

One thing about not being typical is that you know what it’s like to be treated like you’re different. It’s something the cool kids usually need a lesson on.

Brady wants to be a writer one day. Books have been her friends when people have failed her and she wants to be that for someone. She wants to highlight stories of kids who are different so they know they are worthy and not alone.

RFK needs to talk less and listen more. Autism doesn’t destroy families. Lack of access to care, therapies, and trying to change people is what is destructive.

Brady had to write a short story based on a picture for her English class. I asked if I could share it so my friends can see something pretty damn cool that was created from someone who is autistic.