It had been a tough twenty-four hours wondering where Andrew was. I left a message on the answering machine at my school along with sending an email to my building principal informing them I had a family emergency. It was too painful to admit my autistic son was missing.
Getting down on my knees I prayed for divine intervention. Lately, I had been consumed with work and several freelance writing projects believing Andrew was overcoming the ordeal he went through during his first year in college. Memories began to fill my mind causing my pain to intensify.
Suddenly, I had an overwhelming urge to email him. On the second day of his disappearance around 8:00 p.m., I received an email from him.
Andrew was in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He had run away from home, because of an argument he had with his father. Andrew was alone in an unfamiliar place. It was cold, damp and dark! Fortunately, a homeless man around fifty came up to him and asked Andrew if he was destitute like him. This man warned Andrew about the real danger lurking in the shadowy streets and convinced Andrew to go home. The man assisted Andrew in purchasing a return ticket and took him to a public library nearby in an effort to get him off the street. Andrew waited at the library with the man, until it was almost time for his bus.
The homeless man described the cold facts to Andrew about not having an education or having a family one could depend on. He had mentioned about having a relative who was a multimillionaire. This family member would not give one dime in helping him get off the street and turn his life around. He was left to fend for himself. This unique individual was happy to be healthy, despite his present circumstances.
From meeting this stranger, Andrew learned to be grateful for what he had. Upon returning home, Andrew wanted to go back to school and get a degree, but he admitted having trouble with memory, organizational skills, staying on task and communicating with others.
Andrew had heard about a certain green food which had remarkable benefits. He asked about possibility purchasing this supplement. Andrew and I began taking it every morning.
The first sign of improvement in Andrew was his muscle tone and memory alertness. He used to lean when walking. Now, he was standing and walking like anyone else. When he began to show immediate response to any form of conversation such as maintaining eye contact and not stuttering, I knew he had discovered his own miracle.
In March, we purchased a new oven, but it did not fit where the previous one had been. It was Andrew who gave correct suggestions about how to do the rewiring and the removal of some paneling. He assisted his father with the measurements. At first, his father thought he was wrong and argued with him. Andrew convinced his father he was right!
Andrew was beginning to develop his true gifts. As a little boy, before the onset of autism, Andrew was dynamite at fixing things and was a quick thinker. He had the ability to second guess situations, knowing when to open the door for others and what tools his father needed to fix items.
In June 2007, Andrew began to notice what he had missed out on. He was not driving a car, nor was he dating anyone. Andrew became more determined than ever to go back to college and do something with his life.
Two months later, Andrew was accepted back in college on probationary terms. He refused any form of accommodations stating he no longer needed them. Andrew attended college as a full-time student making all As in both the fall and spring semesters. When his father and I praised him, Andrew only smiled. I could not help but think, 'It's nice to have you back.'
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