Shirley Ellen Woodward

Autism Light #434 is Shirley Ellen Woodward.

Shirley Ellen Woodward dedicated her life work as an advocate for individuals with autism and their families.  Ellen Woodward was born on January 13, 1946 in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada, and passed away on January 25, 2014 at her home in Huntington Bay, New York, at the age of 68. She had battled cancer bravely for several years. She is survived by her husband John Neff Woodward and two children, Amanda Lea Woodward and John Matthew Woodward. The funeral service for Ellen Woodward was held on February 6, 2014, at the Greenlawn Presbyterian Church. Shirley Ellen Woodward will be placed on the Autism Light Memorial Roll today.

Her obituary shares this about her amazing contributions for autism.

Ellen will be remembered for her visionary and skilled work on behalf of children with autism and developmental disabilities and their families. In her leadership positions at the Developmental Disabilities Institute in Huntington, NY and more recently at the Cody Center for Autism Development Disabilities at Stony Brook University, she was a pioneer and advocate for the early diagnosis and treatment of developmental disabilities, and an innovator in demonstrating how scientific findings and new techniques could be incorporated into university curricula and service programs.

Her legacy includes her participation in writing the autism diagnosis and treatment guidelines for the state of New York and her role in building and launching the Applied Behavioral Analysis Certification program at Stony Brook. Her particular gift was to see the whole range of needs of families affected by autism and to strategically develop and implement programs and services to address those needs (Shirley Ellen Woodward Obituary, Nolan & Taylor-Howe Funeral Home).

Education: Ellen Woodward earned her BFA and MSW degrees from Stony Brook University. She earned an Ed.D degree from Hofstra University on Long Island, New York.

Retirement: Although her heart wanted to continue to work, Dr. Ellen Woodward retired from the Cody Center in 2011, because of her health.

Obituaries: You may read more information about Shirley Ellen Woodward in these obituaries.

• Shirley Woodward, 68, Champion of Autistic Children, Dies (Newsday.com, January 27, 2014)
• Shirley Ellen Woodward Obituary, Nolan & Taylor-Howe Funeral Home

Memorials: Shirley Woodward's family requested that in lieu of flowers any donations in her memory be given to Autism Speaks.  Her Memorial page at Autism Speaks continues to receive donations.

Special thanks to Shirley Ellen Woodward for her leadership to shine a light for autism in New York. The autism community is grateful for her life and work. May the memory of her passion for autism inspire others to give of themselves to make a difference for those who need a voice.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Levi Waitukaitis

Autism Light #433 is Levi Waitukaitis.

Levi Waitukaitis is a 5th grade student from Riverside, Ohio who has autism. Levi is an Autism Light because he helped get life-saving help to his neighbor who had fallen and was stuck outside in dangerously cold temperatures on February 26, 2015.

On February 26, 2015, Levi Waitukaitis' neighbor Linda Blakely fell on her steps and hurt her ankle. She was trapped outside for about 15 minutes in sub-freezing temperatures and all she could do is cry for help. Levi heard her cry for help and asked his Grandmother Diane Waitukaitis to help him call 911 to get medical assistance for his neighbor. Were it not for Levi's help his neighbor could have easily caught hypothermia and had more severe consequences.

Here is a video of the news story about Levi helping save his neighbor.




Diane Waitukaitis said this about her grandson after he stepped up to help save his neighbor, "He's still the same little boy. I'm just proud of him and he may be severely autistic, but he's doing a lot better than a lot of normal kids (Autistic Riverside Boy Feted for His Act of Heroism, Dayton Daily News, May 22, 2015)."

Special thanks to Levi Waitukaitis for being a good neighbor when Linda Blakely fell on February 26, 2015. Levi is a wonderful example of the extraordinary things that some individuals with autism are capable of doing in emergencies. Although he has special needs himself, Levi played a critical role in helping his neighbor in her urgent time of need. He was the type of neighbor we would all want to have. We wish Levi Waitukaitis continued success as he grows and develops in his life.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Derek Hadley

Autism Light #432 is Derek Hadley.

Derek Hadley is a 31 year old man who has autism. He lives in Springfield, Oregon. Derek Hadley is an Autism Light for donating one of his kidneys to his brother Jeff and in doing so setting an example for others within and outside the autism community.

In 2004, Derek Hadley graduated from Springfield High School's special education program. He currently works three days a week making nameplates for the State of Oregon at the Pearl Buck Center in Eugene, Oregon.

Jeff Hadley was experiencing kidney failure due to having abdominal muscle deficiency syndrome and he needed a transplant in 2015. Derek Hadley was a perfect match for his biological brother Jeff, matching all six markers that measure organ transplant compatibility.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/living/health-and-medicine/article49414485.html#storylink=

On October 26, 2015, Derek Hadley donated his kidney to his brother Jeff Hadley at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland, Oregon. Dr. John Ragsdale surgically removed Derek's kidney and Dr. Kevin McEvoy performed the kidney transplant. It is very rare for someone with autism to donate a kidney, but Derek was willing to help out.

William Bennett who is the medical director of Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital said, "So, we went to great lengths to make sure this was his [Derek's] free will, and that he understood what he was doing. And he did (Springfield Man with Autism Donates Kidney to His Brother, Lexington Herald-Leader, December 12, 2015)."

When Derek agreed to donate his kidney it followed a period of reflection on the slight possibility of complications from the procedure. He said, "I want to take the risk. Jeff is important to me (Springfield Man with Autism Donates Kidney to His Brother, Lexington Herald-Leader, December 12, 2015)."

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/living/health-and-medicine/article49414485.html#storylink=cpy

Special thanks to Derek Hadley for being an Autism Light. Derek's willingness to donate his kidney saved his brother's life. It also set an example for others who have autism that it is possible to go through the scary process of donating a kidney. We can learn much from Derek's sacrifice.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/living/health-and-medicine/article49414485.html#storylink=cpy

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Lisa Aldrich

Autism Light #431 is Lisa Aldrich.

Lisa Sarber Aldrich is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. On Saturday, November 28, 2015, she purchased a cake at the Meijer in Gaines Township, Michigan. Lisa Aldrich is an Autism Light for the manner in which she showed kindness to an employee with autism who decorated her cake.

Lisa Aldrich asked an employee at Meijer to decorate her cake with the words "Happy Birthday Mandy", thinking the person worked in the bakery department. Unaware to Lisa Aldrich, the employee has autism and does not decorate cakes in her job duties at Meijer. After her cake was decorated differently than she expected, Lisa Aldrich showed kindness and smiled and accepted the cake graciously with a thank you.

Here is a video news story of Lisa Aldrich sharing the story of the Meijer cake.




Here is the Facebook post where Lisa Aldrich shared her story. The post was so inspirational that it went viral and to date has received over 150,000 shares from around the world.

Picked out a cake at Meijer. Asked bakery-looking-employee if she could write on it for me. She said she would, and...
Posted by Lisa Sarber Aldrich on Sunday, November 29, 2015

A cashier at Meijer told Lisa Aldrich as she was checking out, "the girl who wrote that has Autism. Thank you for smiling and thanking her-even though she's not supposed to write on cakes, you probably made her day (Meijer Customer's Cake Photo, Story Goes Viral, Free Press, December 1, 2015).

Lisa Aldrich explained that her family enjoyed the special cake very much. She also explained that her reason for sharing the story and the picture of her cake was to promote the simple message that "kindness matters."

"I never asked for all this publicity," said Aldrich. "I just wanted people to consider being nice to each other (As Quoted by Melanie Dostis, Birthday Cake Decorated by Worker with Autism Goes Viral, New York Daily News, December 2, 2015)."

Special thanks to Lisa Aldrich for being an Autism Light. Lisa Aldrich is an example of how people can show kindness to those with autism by being sensitive to their feelings and being gracious.  We hope that this story will inspire others to treat those with autism respectfully when they interact with them in public.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.