Niki and Jeff O'Quinn have four children- three boys and one girl. Their oldest son, Hudson, was diagnosed with Autism when he was three. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 59 children are diagnosed with Autism. Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed than girls. The O'Quinns had to learn more about autism after he was diagnosed, but Niki says that those times strengthened their faith as a family. On April 11, 2014, Niki shared the following Facebook message about Hudson for his twelfth birthday.
"I find it ironic that his birthday falls during Autism Awareness month. His life has blessed each member of our family in ways that I can't even begin to describe. Living with autism... I can truly say has been a blessing. If God offered to make Hudson "normal", I would have to say no. I want to be more like Hudson rather than him like me. He doesn't understand jealousy, hate, spite, or how to be mean-spirited... his mind isn't wired for that... instead, he understands how to give hugs, and say I love you and share the book or toy that he has in his hand... he finds joy in everything... vacuuming floors and cooking dinner... in going to school... in watching Hockey games, the Braves, guitars, listening to music, looking at maps... I think Hudson is more like God intends for all of us to be... selfless and loving to everyone... joyful in everything. I am thankful for this journey with Hudson over the last 12 years. He has definitely taught me more than I have taught him. Some days I wondered what I did to have God bless me with being his mom, that is truly one of the greatest gifts of my life. The days haven't always been easy, but the reward of knowing and loving Hudson is so much greater! So Happy Birthday to our Hud-man! Love you so much!"
Niki wants her message to be clear- having a child with autism is a gift from God. "Some of my darkest times were during this new diagnosis and all that it meant, but it was during those times I very clearly heard the Lord speak to me: trust Me, it's not for you to understand. And the rest is such a beautiful story," smiles Niki.
To find out more about autism, visit autismspeaks.org. Under the Help & Information tab, there is a Resource Guide that can be filtered by state, life stage and level of support.
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