Alex Cohen is an autism sister and is from Bayside, Wisconsin. Her older brother Aaron Cohen has autism. Alex Cohen played college basketball for four years at Northwestern University. Alex Cohen is an Autism Light for the work she did in the leadership of the Autism Speaks U chapter at Northwestern University from 2012-2015.
The following is a video done on Alex Cohen as one of the Faces of the Big Ten.
Northwestern University Basketball: While playing college basketball at Northwestern University, Alex Cohen played for Coach Joe McKeown, who was Autism Light #382. Alex scored 646 points in her career at Northwestern University and made almost 40% of her three point shots. Her statistics for her career are on her page on the NUSports webpage. She also earned All Big Ten Academic Honors in the Winter 2015.
Alex Cohen of @nuwbball earned 2015 Winter Academic-All B1G honors as well as 2015 WBCA Good Works Team Selection. pic.twitter.com/GMGg1mU4dx
Autism Speaks U: Alex Cohen served as the President of Autism Speaks U at Northwestern University from 2012-2014. In her senior year (2014-2015) she transitioned to the Vice-President and created and led an initiative for autism awareness and fundraising called NU Goes Blue.
"Most of the events we've coordinated through Autism Speaks U have been geared specifically toward Northwestern students," said Cohen. "I really wanted to create something that the surrounding community could be involved in as well. When I thought of the idea for NU Goes Blue, one of my main goals was raise autism awareness beyond Northwestern's campus and into the Evanston and Chicagoland communities. We're bringing everyone together for a fun evening that supports a great cause (NU Sports.com, September 29, 2014)."
Alex Cohen's work for Autism Speaks U earned her a spot on the 2015 All State Good Works Team. Here is a video of her selection.
Future Plans: Alex Cohen graduated in 2015 with a degree from Northwestern University in Human Development and Psychological Services. Alex Cohen hopes to continue her basketball career in a professional international league. She plans to use her education to work with individuals with autism after she finishes her professional basketball career.
Special thanks to Alex Cohen for being an Autism Light. We wish her all the best in her professional basketball career and in her future work as an autism advocate. Alex is representative of the growing number of autism siblings who are poised to make a difference in the world for their relatives and for all those impacted by autism.
Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.
Michala Riggle is a 17 year old from Louisville, Kentucky. Her younger brother Evan has autism. After seeing Evan benefit from receiving IV infusions of an amino acid called Glutathione at Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville, she started Beading to Beat Autism in order to raise funds for a study including 50 other children with autism. Michala Riggle is an Autism Light because of her amazing ability to raise money for autism research in honor of her brother Evan.
Michala and her borther Evan
National Media: The following are video clips from when Michala appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres show and Good Morning America in 2011 to share about her autism fundraising.
Fundraising Initiatives: Michala Riggle created Beading to Beat Autism in order to raise funds for autism research at Kosair Children's Hospital in Lousiville, Kentucky. Michala started fundraising in 2007 at age 10 and in 5 years she raised over half a million dollars for autism research, more than doubling her goal of $200,000 (WDRB.com, August 13, 2012).
Michala Riggle Beat Autism Foundation: Michala has created a private 501c3 foundation called The Michala Riggle Beat Autism Foundation, Inc. According to her Facebook page her goal is to "build the most comprehensive, autism research and treatment center in the world and eradicate autism forever (Facebook Page of Beading to Beat Autism)!"
The following is the fundraising video that Michala Riggle has on her website in her current project called CAMPAIGN 7that has a goal to raise $300 million in funds to build an autism research and treatment center in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
Motto: Michala's response when people doubt that she can raise the amount of money she has for her goal is, "If you go into a game thinking you're gonna lose, it's game over-you've lost-YOU GOTTA BELIEVE!!! (Michala Riggle as quoted on Beading to Beat Autism Website)."
Awards/Honors: Michala has received the following awards and honors according to the Facebook Page of Beading to Beat Autism. These are just a few that have been received.
Make a Donation: Visit Michala's website at www.beadingtobeatautism.org for information on how to donate to her foundation.
Special thanks to Michala Riggle for the tremendous amount of fundraising she has done through Beading to Beat Autism. She is commended for having the courage and the tenacity to undertake a big goal to create a center for autism research in Louisville. We are believing with Michala that she will reach her goal. Autism Light looks forward to hearing exciting news of Michala's accomplishments in the years ahead.
Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism. Photos: The photos in this post are used with permission of Emlyn Riggle.
Chelsea Stepp is a 21 year old pop singer and songwriter from Warfield, Kentucky. Chelsea's youngest sister Cammi has autism and she wrote the song Beautiful Blessing in her honor. Chelsea Stepp has been chosen as the first Autism Light for the year 2014, because of her dedication to her relationship with her sibling with autism and her amazing talent in music that is spreading autism awareness.
Here is an interview that Chelsea Stepp did about autism and her admiration for her sister Cammi as it relates to her song Beautiful Blessing.
Paper Airplane: Chelsea Stepp released her first music album on September 1, 2013 called Paper Airplane. Paper Airplanes includes 8 songs, including Beautiful Blessing. You can purchase her album on iTunes or at Amazon.
Here is the song that Chelsea Stepp sings called Beautiful Blessing. It was inspired by her younger sister who has autism and cowrote with Britton Cameron. The refrain includes these words.
Beautiful blessing, beautiful curse Things could be better, but things could be worse Give me your heaven, give me your hurt Beautiful blessing, beautiful curse
Two special comments and tributes to Chelsea Stepp's song came from autism mothers by way of social media.
"Thank you for posting this song. My son is autistic and when he heard it he smiled and said, 'mom she understands me.'
If you enjoyed this post you may wish to read about the other Autism Lights with the label Siblings. These people share the special perspective in their story of having a sibling with autism.
Special thanks to Chelsea Stepp for being an Autism Light. Chelsea's music is a blessing to many and the doors her music opens to her for autism advocacy is an inspiration to the autism community.
Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.
Natalie Palumbo is 19 years old, and a college student at Ringling College of Art and Design in Florida. Her home is in Columbia, South Carolina. Her older brother Anthony has low-verbal autism. As a sibling of an individual with autism, Natalie takes very seriously a responsibility to care for her brother over his lifespan and she is a natural advocate for autism. Natalie currently serves as the sibling voice for the Age of Autism web newspaper. Her relationship with Anthony is an inspiration to other autism siblings and families. Natalie Palumbo is an Autism Light for the difference she is making in the life of her brother who has autism and how her creative art and writing encourages the greater autism community.
Artist: Natalie just successfully completed her first semester at Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida with an A average. She hopes to work in visual effects in film and animation. Natalie became interested in art at an early age, because drawing helped her cope with the isolation imposed by autism and was the only way she could communicate with her brother. Some of her artistic achievements already include:
In 5th grade she was recommended to competitive fine arts programs.
Natalie won several regional, state, and national awards for traditional, digital, and mixed media pieces.
In 9th grade, she won the Nevitt award for “Most Outstanding Art Student” after completing all four years of Tri-District Arts Consortium in Lexington County.
In 11th grade, she created an art piece called “NOT Born This Way”, which featured her brother Anthony in a significant way. She expressed her concern for the growing numbers of people diagnosed with autism, and how society is unprepared to deal with this increase. This concern was the subject of her senior thesis.
Her PSA for Age of Autism took 1st Place in the PSA Category at the Notre Dame High School National Film Festival in the Spring of 2013.
Here is the Public Service Announcement that Natalie Palumbo created on autism awareness for Age of Autism in the Notre Dame High School National Film Festival.
Here is a news story done on Natalie Palumbo and her relationship with her brother in October of 2012.
Natalie Palumbo offered this perspective to Autism Light on finding a cure for autism.
Growing up, those who thought of autism only as a verbal condition criticized me for wanting a cure for my brother. They actually asked me,
“If you love your brother so much, why do you want a cure?”
They did not understand how Anthony’s low-verbal autism made him vulnerable to danger, and how lack of communication limits his life. Anthony will need lifetime care. I feel it’s important to identify the cause of autism to prevent it as well as treat it. Some people with autism are gifted and verbal, but only represent about 30% of the spectrum. I responded to criticism by saying…
“If you can argue against a cure, you don’t need one. For those without a voice, we can never stop fighting for a cure. We cannot neglect the many for the exceptional gifts of the few.”
Age of Autism: The Age of Autism is a Daily Newspaper on the Autism Epidemic that is Edited by Dan Olmsted, Kim Stagliano, and Mark Blaxill. Natalie Palumbo serves as the Sibling Voice for Age of Autism. Her writing on this daily web newspaper on autism is having a significant impact. You can access the over 20 posts she has written through her page on Age of Autism. Some of her favorite posts include:
Autism Light asked Natalie how her relationship with a brother with autism impacts her life and she said this:
Anthony keeps me young. He is immune to the world’s negativity. It
is a blessing and a curse for me. Anthony is unaware when people
are intolerant, so I hurt for the both of us. It does comfort me that he
is unaware of people’s ability to be cruel. I can escape into his world
where our childhood is never-ending. He still thinks of me as 6 and
him as 9. Anthony acknowledges that I’m in college, but his interaction
with me remains frozen in time. Anthony speaks in chunk phrases from
his echolalia. He will repeat a phrase, and change certain words to
suit his message. This is how he copes with having no conversational
speech. This results in funny phrasing that we call “Anthonyisms”. I
started a Tumblr at the suggestion of one of my friends who enjoyed the
Anthonyisms as my Facebook statuses. Anthony inspires my art. He is
highly visual to compensate for being low verbal. I focus on whatever
captures Anthony’s attention. I try to see the world through Anthony’s eyes.
Social Media: You can follow Natalie Palumbo's work on the following social media areas.
Here is a video of Natalie and Anthony dancing to a light hearted song together.
Being Anthony’s only sibling, Natalie anticipates being his caregiver one day when her parents are no longer able. Special thanks to Natalie Palumbo for being an Autism Light as a sibling voice for autism. Her thoughts challenge the autism community to listen to autism siblings to make sense of the puzzle of autism. We look forward to continuing to hear about the great things Natalie will do in the future to raise awareness for autism.
If you enjoyed this post you may wish to read about the other Autism Lights with the label Siblings. These people share the special perspective in their story of having a sibling with autism.
Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.
The photos of Natalie Palumbo with her brother Anthony in this post were used with permission of Natalie Palumbo.
Faith Jegede is from London, England and is an autism advocate by being a speaker, writer, and blogger. Faith Jegede's brothers Remi and Samuel both have autism. Faith Jegede is an Autism Light because of the extraordinary way in which she is spreading autism awareness through the perspective of a sibling. Faith Jegede said in her TED talk called What I Learned from My Autistic Brothers, "I can not remember the first moment I encountered autism but I cannot recall a day without it."
The following is a video that Faith Jegede has on her blog that she did for Autism Awareness Month - 2013.
Here is a talk for TED that Faith Jegede did in 2012 called "What I've Learned from My Autistic Brothers."
Blog: You can read The Faith Jegede Blog to keep track of Faith's blogging. In her blog Faith Jegede shares her thoughts and personal opinions on topics ranging from reflections on life, favorite quotes, original poetry, politics, and her Christian faith. On her blog she mentions admiring the poetry of Joshua Bennett, who was Autism Light #253. Faith Jegede also has shared personal thoughts about her brothers on her blog. Here is two excellent blog posts that Faith Jegede wrote about where she mentions her relationship to her brothers who have autism.
To Her Brother Remi:If I were to communicate one thing to you, it would be that you are extraordinary. Your brilliance is beyond our conceptualization and you are worth more than you'll ever be able to realize. In you lies a gift. In you lies a lesson. In you lies a solution. In you lies love (Source).
100 Things to Be Thankful for in 2010: 5. I'm #thankful for my brothers. They often drive me nuts but always bring me joy. I'm excited to see what God will do in both of them (Source)."
Radio Show: Faith Jegede is the creator, presenter, and producer of a radio show called "What's in Yours?" (Source). Faith Jegede's radio show airs for an hour on Tuesdays and Saturdays and centers around her getting to know guests by digging deep into their bags. You can access episodes of Faith Jegede's show at the Premier Gospel Website.
Twitter: Faith Jegede is very active on Twitter as @FaithJegede. Here are two of her inspirational tweets about life.
Tell someone you love them today. The evil in this world is too unpredictable to wait a second longer.
— Faith Jegede (@faithjegede) April 15, 2013
It is only the hope of light that gets you through the tunnel. Whatever your tunnel is - believe that there will be light!!
— Faith Jegede (@faithjegede) April 26, 2013
Social Media: You can follow Faith Jegede on social media at the following areas.
Special thanks to Faith Jegede for spreading autism awareness and being a dedicated sister to her two brothers with autism. Faith Jegede is setting a wonderful example of advocacy for other young people who have siblings with autism. We look forward to continuing to hear amazing things about Faith Jegede's autism awareness advocacy in the years to come. If you enjoyed this post you may wish to read about the other Autism Lights with the label Siblings. These people share the special perspective in their story of having a sibling with autism.
Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.
We so often focus on parents of those with autism that we may forget the special bond that exists with sibilings. Niamh Cadogan has a younger brother Stephen who has autism. Her relationship with her beloved brother inspired Niamh as she continued to lead an autism project during a serious illness.
Niamh Cadogan, from West Cork in Ireland, was born on June 22, 1994, and passed away on March 19, 2012 at the age of 17, from Leukemia. Niamh Cadogan is being named an Autism Light posthumously for the autism project she did to help children with autism obtain an iPod Touch with the Grace App on it. Niamh Cadogan will also be added to the Autism Light Memorial Roll today. The name "Niamh" is an Irish name that means "bright", or "radiant" and it's a fitting description for today's Autism Light.
Niamh with her friends Lisa and Liam
Niamh with her brother Stephen
Niamh Cadogan was the leader of a Young Social Innovators project called Amazing Grace: Improving the Lives of Children with Autism in Skibbereen. The 18 month project involved raising funds by recycling mobile phones in order to purchase an iPod Touch with the Grace App installed on it for children with autism. Every child in the autism unit programs at the St. Patrick's Boy's National School and at Rossa College became the beneficiaries of Niamh Cadogan's vision and dedication to serve.
Tributes were made to Niamh Cadogan from two prominent members of the autism community.
Lisa Domican, the developer of the Grace App, said, "She got the entire school behind her and made it happen. She appreciated and adored her brother, and realised that it made her a better person (Source)."
Kevin Whelen, the chief executive of Irish Autism Action said, "There are children with autism around the country who are now communicating with their parents thanks to Niamh (Source)."
The following are articles on the legacy of Niamh Cadogan
You can also read about Niamh Cadogan's project and her battle with Leukemia in an online copy of a previous edition of the Young Social Innovators Newsletter.
Social Media: The Amazing Grace project has a Facebook page too for further information on it.
We honor the life and memory of Niamh Cadogan and hope that her work will inspire other young people who have siblings with autism to change the world for autism. Because of their youth and generational bond, siblings have a unique opportunity to make a difference over the long term for autism. Certainly Niamh Cadogan's legacy won't be forgotten as dozens of students are communicating with their parents because of the gift of an iPod Touch with the Grace App on it.
If you enjoyed this post you may wish to read about the other Autism Lights with the label Siblings. These people share the special perspective in their story of having a sibling with autism.
Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.
Photos: The photos in this post were used with the permission of Lisa Domican.
Candice Hause is a senior at Shade-Central City High School in Cairnbrook, Pennsylvania. She has two siblings with autism, Leah age 5, and Blake age 4 (see photo above). Candice's senior project will improve life for those with autism in two areas. The money raised will be split for a joint project to remodel a sensory room used by students with autism and to support an after school horseback therapy program. Candice Hause is an Autism Light because of her selection of a senior project that will benefit children who have autism, like her siblings.
Candice Hause said this to Autism Light about her project:
The reason I chose Autism for my senior project is because I realize how important it is to be diagnosed as soon as possible and to get the help needed to have the best outcome for the person with Autism.
Candice Hause shared with Autism Light that she wants to help parents who might be unaware their child has autism, when she sees a situation in public. "I always want to say something, but fear it is not my place or what the reaction would be," said she said. This Senior project will help Candice make a difference without saying anything. Here is the two sides of the project. Sensory Room: Candice Hause plans to upgrade a school sensory room for students with special needs. It is not just used for autism. She indicated that, "Each one is different, so we'd like to add as many things as possible to help as many people as we can (Source)."
Horseback Therapy: The horseback riding therapy will be conducted by Best of Friends, a volunteer non-profit group. You can visit their website at http://best-of-friends.org to find out about the work of their organization. The value of horseback therapy is expressed a this poem at the Saddle Scoop website by John Anthony Davies.
Candice Hause is hoping to raise $5,000 for her project. If you would like to contribute and help this Autism Light reach her goal to see it to completion then please email chause93@verizon.net for more information. Those who donate will receive a special handcrafted wooden memorablia made by Terry Schaffer, the Grandfather of Candice and her siblings. For more information on Candice Hause' senior project read the article published by the Hartford Courant.
Special thanks to Candice Hause for making autism her senior project. Candice is an example of the positive things a high school senior can do to help brighten the world of those with autism. If you liked this post you may wish to read other Autism Light posts about siblings of people with autism. They have the label of sibling on them.
Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.
Photo: The photo in this post is used with permission of Candice Hause.
Emily Lopez is an 11 year old from Los Angeles, California. Emily's brother Tony has autism and in his honor she founded and operates a fundraising effort known as Lemonade 4 Autism. Emily Lopez is an Autism Light because of her work in fundraising for autism charities and raising awareness for autism.
Here is a YouTube video of Emily Lopez, when she was 9 years old, explaining why she started Lemonade 4 Autism.
For more information on Emily Lopez and Lemonade4Autism visit their official website at this link. If you are an organization working with autism and would like to be considered for assistance by Lemonade 4 Autism then please email Carrie Lopez at loveforautism@yahoo.com.
United States of Autism: Emily Lopez and her family will be featured in the upcoming movie called United States of Autism that is due to be released in 2012. The Executive Producer of United States of Autism is Richard Everts who was Autism Light #29.
Blog Featuring Emily Lopez: Emily Lopez was featured as the Wednesday's Woman on January 28, 2011 by the My Hats Mommy Blog.
Social Media: You can follow Lemonade 4 Autism on the following social media areas.
Special thanks to Emily Lopez for making a difference for autism. Here's hoping you have an amazing future in helping the autism community. If you liked this post you may wish to read other Autism Light posts about siblings of people with autism. They have the label of sibling on them.
Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.
Photo: The photo in this post was taken from the Lemonade4Autism Facebook page and is used with permission of Carrie Lopez.
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