By James Malone.

I got this submission today and it was beyond moving and brilliant and wanted to share it with all of you out there.

If you have a story you would like to share, please share it with us.

Blessings to you and your family James Malone. You are an inspiration to us all.

Dr.Christine

Autism Spectrum Disorder As An Adult

Hello, my name is James and I want to voice my struggles and successes with others that are suffering from mental illness and developmental issues. Ever since I was little I knew something was off. I was always told throughout my life that I seemed like a calm person, however that was far from the truth. The wheels were always turning in my head.

In recent years I had the feeling that something was very off with me. I would have panic attacks and meltdowns lasting up to several hours. I always knew I had a learning disability, anxiety, and a specific phobia. Sensory Issues such as tastes, smells, textures, certain smells, and sights bothered me but I never mentioned it to a professional. I detest

staying at someone’s house or at a hotel and even had trouble feeling comfortable in my own home.

When I saw the show Atypical it gave me an idea to do a little research. I knew autism was different for everyone but I could see similarities between the main character of the show and myself. Learning more about ASD became a new obsession for me. I then decided to take the plunge and see a specialist. I was told by the doctor that performed the screening that they were pleasantly surprised at how functional I seemed compared to my test results. It was indeed a compliment but it had me thinking a lot about my life in both the past and the present. I was in tears because of the mixed feelings about my life. 

In school I struggled a lot with my learning disability. I always could remember in second grade when we started doing multiplication assignments. All the other kids seemed to be grasping the numbers but I just sat there with a blank stare. It wasn’t that I was jealous, I just was frustrated with not getting it. I also had a specific fear of tall buildings and high ceilings. My parents sent me to a psychologist for exposure therapy but the fear remained. The phobia has always interfered with travel, leisure, and work opportunities.

Today, I still struggle with my learning disability, phobias, anxiety, and autism. However, the autism diagnosis has changed how I approach effective treatment. I’m excited to say, with the help from Lexapro, Aripoprazole, and CBD oil, I can live life a little more easily. These treatments have enabled me to enjoy my interests including  photography, writing, historic preservation, video games, roller skating, martial arts and acting. Most people do not understand the frustrations and the struggles someone with high functioning autism goes through on a daily basis. I’m still trying to learn more ways to cope and use my obsessive traits as a strength and not a weakness.

Even as an adult I made the mistake of not mentioning anything to the psychiatrist, counselors, and therapists that I saw besides my phobia. I put in a lot of hours into cognitive and hypnosis therapy. I mentioned the constant worry and was usually diagnosed with Anxiety or Generalized Anxiety. I would always give medication a try but it would always upset my stomach or I felt It wasn’t working. I even tried herbal remedies and acupuncture.

James Malone Kirkendall is a Fort Smith resident and joined the Abandoned Arkansas team in 2014. He owns two dogs, parrots, and lives with his wife Ashleigh. Though he struggles with a learning disability and Autism, his talents and persistence have led him to an array of different achievements. Some of the greatest feats have been receiving a black belt in traditional karate and performing overseas in the Fringe Theatre Festival in Edinburgh Scotland. His education includes several computer technology certifications and he has attended the New York Film Academy in LA. His interests include video games, roller skating, and martial arts.

By Your Side…release date February 14th, 2023

Author Dr. Christine Grimaldi

Thirty years ago I was honored to be hired as Barbara Walters’ fitness trainer and health coach. It was a day I will always remember. I always had the curious mind to learn about others and what made people tick, what made them happy, and what made them productive.

My dad would say curiosity killed the cat, which was an idiom used back in the day, for curiosity can be dangerous. I embraced what could be seen as danger and all the positive effects it had on me.

When I met Barbara she said to me, ” Curiosity is the engine of achievement.” Curiosity is the quality related to inquisitive thinking such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by the observation in humans and other animals. Well that is all I had to hear to sum up the positive aspect of my neurodivergent thinking. At that moment I was silently grown up.

Who would have thought that the Barbara Walters would be impressed by what everyone else saw as not the typical norm. She encouraged me to channel my curiosity into a life full of critical thinking, conscious leadership, and purpose driven work.

During our time together, Barbara often spoke to me about her sister Jackie, who she adored beyond words. Jackie was autistic, and was never given the opportunity to create and express her greatness.

For the next 25 years, Barbara and I walked together in Central Park, mostly the literary walk, which was a beautiful path lined with poets and writers. I believe that this walk inspired both of us. We had wide ranging conversations about everything from fine literature and fiction, to medical abstracts, to topics of life that were rarely discussed openly. Our walks were a source of great inspiration and learning for both of us.

Over the years, Barbara expressed to me how she wished her sister Jackie had someone like me to help her realize all the value, creativity and purpose that she had to offer. These words meant a lot to me, and I took them to heart.

Barbara was a true believer in me and my work and was my patron, as I dedicated myself to brightening the lives of and creating a better future for children.

During one of our walks, Barbara confided in me that she did not have a legacy that truly reflected her inner feelings and desires.

She said:

“I am tired of putting my names on buildings and hospital wings that don’t truly express who I am.” I replied with confidence that she had instilled in me, “Someday I will leave you the legacy that you will be proud of.” She then asked, “And how do you plan on doing that?” I replied, ” I do not know yet, but I am sure I will find a way.” She chuckled and we continued our walk.

Today is a bittersweet moment for me, as I remember Barbara Walters who passed away last week. She was a dear friend, a loving mentor, and a mother figure to me. Barbara purchased an expensive apartment for me in New York so that I can have a safe and comfortable place to rest and recharge, while I pursued my purpose-driven work helping terminally ill children. She believed in the importance of self care in order to be able to take care of others and always encouraged me to take care of myself first. A wise lesson, that is still quite difficult for me, when resources are not readily available as they were when I was by her side. I became the change she wanted to see. I sold the apartment that she bought for me and used the money to purchase an enrichment home in Stony Brook, NY, and a writing retreat center upstate New York, for young adults with disabilities. I also founded a brand called AUTISTICANA, which is a news media center where people of all abilities can come for education, leadership, and respite. It is a place where I can teach the lessons that Barbara taught me to a new generation of wonderful kids.

In honor of Barbara Walters we have created a neuro-divergent news media company (501c3) that teaches kids of all abilities how to effectively communicate and socialize through interpersonal and writing skills by becoming news reporters for conscious leadership programs. These kids have exceeded all of my expectations and continue to do so every day. As a tribute to my dear friend and mentor Barbara, I hope that this company brings the same joy and fulfillment that she brought to my life.

Through this program, I hope to launch these kids into the bright future that Barbara always wanted for them.

Note to self

Barbara as she always did, would say to me . “Christine is ……….”,

and I would respond, “Christine is the person who never gives up, because you taught her how not to, and you taught her how to be the change you wish to see in this world”.

Thank you Barbara, for your legacy has begun…..

Please stay tuned for her memoir to be released.

“By Your Side’‘ A Walk in The Park With Barabara Walters. “

Release date: February 14th, 2023 (The Day of Love).

@autisticana

Barbara always asked if heaven is for real, well Barbara, you and the pope left together…..

Every so often in my life, I believe that God gives me signs that I am meant to be where I am meant to be. The book Wonder by R.J. Palicio is a book about this kid named August who has a deformed face, and it shows the hardships and judgement a person receives based on what they look like. Now there was something in this book that made me really think about the Principal in the story, and how kind he was to the main character August, no matter his physical deformity.

Then a few days later after I thought about this, Christine Grimaldi, our mentor, who founded Autisticana, and who runs the Autistic group that I am a part of now, has her brother Mike, a Principal of an elementary school, who “looks great, but there is so much more inside of him to teach the world, ” as Christine expressed, came to visit our group for the first time.

Then he came to visit our group, whom will also probably become more involved with us. He has a-lot of gifts to share with us.

The amazing fact is that Mike Grimaldi is a true educator and principal, but when you first see him you see his good looks. There is so much more him than his looks. The way we met him, a principal who makes you think of physical appearance when you look at him, just so recently after I thought about the kindness of the principal in the book Wonder, makes me feel like this was a sign from God telling me something.

That sign is do not judge a book by it’s cover. Kindness comes in many forms, it is so much more than the physical. We are so appreciative to have another educator mentor all of us.

Now I think the theme of the book Wonder is kindness can be portrayed by anyone if they choose it. It doesn’t matter on what someone looks like, it comes from the heart. I don’t show favoritism to more good looking people and I don’t overlook people that are what most people call “ugly”. I see everyone as equally beautiful in their own way, and I don’t see anybody as better looking then anybody else. I see everyone as someone who needs to be accepted. I see everyone as important. I see everyone as a valuable jewel who needs unconditional love.

By Cara DiFiore, Jackson Beach, Rachel Green, Danielle, Nicole, Scott Weisbrot, Elliot Gavin Keenan, and Ava Gurba, Akilah, and Steven

100th Blog Celebration!

This topic has been on my mind and I thought this would make a great blog for all to see, and to educate typical people on how neurodivergent people are so creative and bright and need to be heard and seen.

Dr. Grimaldi and I have decided to interview people at Autisticana and others about being on the spectrum, and what it means to them. We are all so very unique, special and different, so we wanted to explore our feelings and those people similar to us.

Being on the spectrum usually refers to a specific set of developmental and behavioral problems. The challenges associated with autism means that you can be affected in some way with communication and social, learning and interactive skills. Most articles and research are written and researched by professionals in the field and parents of children with autism. We as adults , living the experience of being on the spectrum, want our voices to be heard. We are the true ” Lived Experiment” and now, it is time for society to hear our voice and how we really feel. We have been told all our lives how to feel and how to be. So now, we have decided to start a monthly article discussing topics and calling our work , ” A Chorus of Autistic Voices”, so that society can really learn our perspective. I’ll share my story first.

Cara

I didn’t realize about my autism, until I got into my teens. I remember noticing my behaviors and traits. I took a quiz to see if I was on the spectrum. Although I was diagnosed at a really young age, so I don’t remember anything from that day. So I just believed in the diagnosis, and have had to live with it most of my life. Throughout my school career from preschool to high school, I was always placed in special education. When I was little I was okay with it , but once I got to my teens I was starting to feel embarrassed because I didn’t want to be in that class, and I felt like I was going to be made fun of for it, which in the end, luckily didn’t happen. Even though I was never bullied by kids, I wanted to fit in and be treated like everyone else. I still do to this day.

In middle school I was kind of a different person; I was a lot more like an introvert. I also always had a hard time relating to most people. I didn’t have a lot of friends, and didn’t feel like I belonged anywhere. I felt awkward everywhere I went.

I always felt ashamed about my autism and other things about me for a long time. Once I reached high school, I started to come out of my shell a little bit. I started getting more involved in more things and made some more friends, as I was starting to be less shy. I also met another special person in my life who is now my boyfriend.

However I still was dealing with struggles like poor self esteem, mental health, perfectionism, and ableism. I did my own research and learned what the world ABLEISM means, which is discrimination against people who are disabled invisble or not. I felt like I fit into that category. However those experiences made me the person I am today.

I now no longer feel ashamed of my autism. I’m grateful to have people in my life who appreciate me and to be apart of something really special like Autisticana, where we are all like minded, support each other and educate others.

My advice for anyone would be to not be ashamed of who you are, treat yourself the way you would treat others, be who you are meant to be in this world, and go after what you want.

Jackson

Being autistic is really great because it has allowed me to learn many different things about the world and has caused me to discover different types of music and interests and make great friends. Growing up, I went to Just Kids which was a preschool for kids with special mental needs and disabilities. However, once I entered public school, I was placed in regular standard classes rather than classes that had special needs kids. This made me feel like an outcast deep down as well as angry at myself whenever I got in trouble with other people, especially my paraprofessionals. I also struggled with issues such as hyperactivity and not paying attention at times. Despite that, I did participate in the SOAR program (Support Our Autistic Rainbow) of my school district from first to eighth grade. However, I was still able to make great friends and had fun in all my classes. My school career with autism changed significantly when on the last day of seventh grade, I was offered the chance to join the ICT two teacher classroom program. I agreed and my school career changed for the better as I made many new friends, even in people I had met before but never truly interacted with. I also saw my grades improve significantly, especially when I reached high school and was able to do extremely well in English and Social Studies. I also joined outside of school activities such as Sangha Education Center and Kidz Helping Kidz, where I bonded with other neurodivergent teens. Upon reaching college, I feel like my autism has helped in making great papers and projects. Throughout my life, I have realized that autism is a gift, not a burden and it has allowed me to make many great friends, whether at school or Newsmakers.

Rachel

I never realized I have a disability. I’ve felt left out with family than in school with my peers. Before my mom and stepdad got married, I felt left out because she was paying more attention to him than to me. I was upset and I would read romance novels in my spare time. It gave me a sense of hope that one day that could be me. When It came to school it made me feel bad that I was taking longer to graduate than other kids. I had a lot of friends in school and felt supported and my teachers were helpful as well. I liked to learn about science in school because of its science fair. I never felt disadvantaged compared to my peers. In regards to driving, I wish I could drive and I don’t like I can’t do that. I feel left out because some of my friends can drive and I can’t. I would like to have my own place away from my parents. If I had to say anything to those who feel bad about their disability it would be that we are each different in our own way and don’t feel bad about it.

Danielle

Growing up I never thought I had a disability, I always thought everyone else had issues, just not me. I owed this to my parents who never treated me differently, and gave my brother and I chores to do. We were both expected to do our chores. In school I had to deal with difficult kids more troubled than me and I had to learn to wait my turn and figure things out. Sometimes I needed help but I couldn’t get it. I’m now grateful that I found a group of friends in Autisticana who love and accept me for who I am. I always remember the times I had with Pop and remember seeing him through the window while sick. I’ll always have that memory with me.

Nicole

Since I was young, I have had a hard time speaking to people and I had a hard time paying attention in class, as well as hearing what the teacher was saying, As I got older I had a hard time trusting people, because I experienced a bad friendship and it made me feel less confident and trusting with others. I think being autistic is something I’m proud of because it shows that I can be intelligent, despite all the emotional and physical issues that have occurred to me.

Even if you do have a disability you can be whatever you want to be. For instance, I really enjoy using my creativity and imagination to help others by writing meditations and creative visualizations for all to experience. Life gets difficult some times and we need a little break in the day. Practicing meditation and creative visualizations allow us to experience a mini vacation in our mind. This also allows us to breathe deep, to oxygenate our system, and to relax our thoughts that may make us anxious.

I am happy I learned how to channel my creativity into helping myself and others to launch and just be, for working together we can all enjoy and be who we can be!

Scott

The time when I first noticed my Autism was the time when I was in elementary school. I was placed in a Special Ed group during most of my time. However, I was placed in a mainstream class in specials and some subjects because I thought it would help me learn how to interact with the other kids. I noticed something different was my classmates were having conversations and I only spoke a little amount. I was more interested in interacting with them during PE Class because it was about having fun. I often felt upset because they only wanted to focus on each other and hang out or be with other partners without me. I sometimes had a hard time keeping the conversation going because I wasn’t sure of saying what I wanted to say. I passed my Global History Regents in a mainstream Global History class. I often got upset over not going to a friends party because I felt bad finding out on social media that they were at parties and didn’t invite me. I got better with communication and I passed my road test on my first try during the end of my teenage years. I became more independent after I got my drivers license. I got two major awards at school. I participated in Sports activity like school and Special Olympics. I was on the Varsity Bowling Team, the School Track Team. and also helped out on the Boys Varsity Soccer Team. As I get older, I just realize that having Autism was more of a Gift because It shows my special type of interest and my own sense of view. I’m also grateful that I get to have my friends and everyone at Autisticana.org which makes me feel like its family.

Elliot

I was diagnosed with autism when I was six years old and I do remember the moment the doctor in a white coat let me into his office for the first time and I discovered that the dark square in the room I’d been playing in was a one-way mirror, and all of my “playtime” was actually being observed. I was in adaptive gym classes for most of my life and today I am not able to drive a car even though I am 26. Even though these are obstacles for me, autism has always been a gift — a gift that was misunderstood by others. I was able to read before I could speak and I believe my autism is a reason why I was able to complete my PhD at UCLA. However, despite being tested with an IQ score in the upper extreme, I was not invited to partake in the gifted programming at school due to my disability and I was late entering honors classes. I was bullied because I was clumsy and obsessed with Pokémon, and because of bullying and untreated ADHD I often did not want to go to school. I did well on tests, but I could not pay attention during classes and did not turn in homework. Because of my high educational attainment some people doubt I have any serious struggles, but I have been hospitalized in a mental hospital over 20 times. Those that know me best know that autism is a part of who I am (the good and the bad) and plays a role in my personality too, like my sense of humor.

Ava

I didn’t learn I was autistic until I was 15, but I always felt like there was something different about me. In my early adolescence, I was searching for any explanation for why I just never seemed to fit in. At 13, I learned that as an infant I had cerebral palsy. It explained why I physically couldn’t keep up with others, but I still felt like an alien on a distant planet. Everyone seemed to speak a different language than I did, but the words themselves were not different. It was how language and social connection being built. I always felt behind in some abstract global way.

In high school, the social pressures just became too much for me. I was having meltdowns, and at this age, it was not considered appropriate. It led to my eventual diagnosis with autism. At first, I felt like a completely broken person. Everything you read about autism when you google it talks about our deficits, our inability to be part of the larger social collective. I didn’t feel like I knew how to connect with the friends I had anymore. What I was learning actually made me feel worse about myself.

It took me several years, but eventually I found strong connections with other autistic adolescents and adults. I found solace in the neurodiversity movement, a social movement for the acceptance of people with different kinds of minds. I was no longer speaking this different language; we spoke the same. I could feel what I knew inside all along: being autistic was always a beautiful part of my identity.

Akilah

As someone who has autism, I have never felt bad about my disability because whether or not I have it is something that is out of my control and makes me unique as an individual. You can control as much as you can and you have to let the rest go.

I have always felt different from other people ever since I was born,. The day I was diagnosed all made sense to me and I was a bit relieved because it allowed me to make strategies to combat any ill feelings and resentment I felt against myself and how society may have viewed me. Instead, I was able to find tools to make positive strategies to make my life the best it could be under my circumstances. I don’t feel bad about not being able to drive because some people with disabilities cannot do so and there is no shame in that.

At school I was picked on and bullied which made me feel annoyed and isolated, but I took karate classes and defended myself whenever someone bullied me. I turned my isolation into being a great creative artist and I have learned to share my gifts and innate talents with the world. Through all my sacrifices and struggles, I have built up great resiliency and have learned appropriate coping tools while meeting like minded friends.

With the Newsmakers Club and all my great friends, I don’t ever feel left out because I feel safe and secure with all of them.

Steven

All throughout my life I’ve had a tough time socializing with other people. It is definitely not easy for me to have conversations with strangers. I always get a little bit anxious whenever a person asks me something when I’m out in public. There are times when I’m afraid to say anything because I’m afraid it might not be the right thing to say. There are certain sounds that I am very sensitive to, like the sound of a phone that is on speaker, or loud TVs, or some beeping noises. Also, my brain tends to process some things slower then other people, so if too much information is coming at me at once I can get overwhelmed, especially with all my autistic sensitivities. However, brain processing speed and intelligence are two different things.

I am an intelligent, honest, open minded young man who just wants people to accept all of me. I appreciate those caring, compassionate neurotypicals who are are willing to understand what it is like for a person to have autism. I appreciate neuro-divergent people like Christine Grimaldi as well.

Dr Grimaldi’s Takeaway:

In my experience, people with autism are beyond amazing. They all have their own unique special interests and priorities that are important to them. Special interests can mean many different things.

It could be a highly specific topic of conversation they wish to discuss, a tangible item that is particularly important to them, or maybe it’s an activity they wish to engage in without interruption. Examples of this are Pokémon competitions, Marvel, Disney, politics and so much more .

People who do not have autism that attempt to disregard their special interests are not able to truly reach that individual. It’s the special people who use that individual’s “priorities” to engage with them who receive positive and meaningful interactions.

A perfect example of this is the TV show Love on the Spectrum, which shows you that the couples on this show truly engage with each other when they have the same interests. I personally disagree with “opposites attract”.

I actually think that similarities are what engage relationships and keep them sustainable. People with autism are exceptional in that they are fearlessly and authentically themselves. Our societal norms do not affect the individual’s agenda to fully be themselves.

This can be off-putting for those who do not understand or appreciate this. Unfortunately society discriminates and looks at these wonderful kids as an illness to be fixed, when in reality they are truly a blessing that is ostracized by society which causes them mental health issues.

There needs to be so much more education and awareness so society can evolve and unite as a team.

With awareness, one can truly see the beauty of an autistic mind. The uninformed believe these individuals need to bend, adapt, and conform to fit into their society. I have met so many individuals to know that it is not them who needs to bend. Starting this wonderful blog at Autisticana has proven how these kids have worked together to build a bond, and doing so allowed them to really develop their communication skills effortlessly.

They have dedicated their work to advocating for themselves and have really learned amazing skills, such as sharing their stories, learning to creatively write, learning how to advocate as a team, and to accept everyone for who they are. They have also learned what it is like to be a mentor and a conscious leader.

Most of all they have learned to express themselves for who they are and to share their gifts with the world.

I am so proud to be their coach, their teacher, and their friend.

This is our 100th blog and today we celebrate their greatness. This has been the toughest year for me.

Through my baby sisters’ terminal cancer diagnosis, the murder of our beloved mascot Molly due to poisoning on a farm and Airbnb’s negligence, and through having my own surgery from this tragedy, we have not skipped a beat!

I am a resiliency educator and this year has proven the truth strength we all have.

Out Motto now is ” Teamwork makes the Dream Work”.

I am so beyond proud of my team at Autisticana.

We continue to publish our first ten books and tools to empower all to join us. We are also in the process of finishing our ar , yoga and writing retreat center in beautiful upstate NY, where all these like minded young adults can create and transform this world we live in for the better.

Thank You to my beautiful team at autisticana.org and the Newsmakers in honor of my mentor Barbara Walters, who taught me to critically think, investigate with appropriate evidence, and to keep my heart open while staying resilient at all times.

This year has been very sweet and sour and yet we all have proven to make lemonade out of lemons.

We are growing rapidly and hope to be nationwide soon.

Please come join a team who is going to sweep the nation.

If just one person shows compassion then just maybe it will cause a chain reaction…that person is me.

With love and grattitude,

Dr. Christine Grimaldi

http://www.fuelholisticenrichmentcenter.com

We have been building a beautiful retreat house upstate and our coach Christine bought all of us a beautiful camper van so we could go back and forth and have camping experiences and help build a retreat house to mentor others. Unfortunately, last week, somebody sideswiped our van with four of our service dogs in the van. We have been through a lot this year; luckily our service dogs were not injured. However, the van will take at least two months to get repaired with an extreme amount of damage and is not drivable for the entire summer. What do we do?

We found a beautiful Thor that would really help us and we feel like that his insurance company should reimburse us for the destruction of our summer mentoring program. We were also planning to use our van to document our first summer trip as a group. We were looking forward to that, especially with the loss of our dog Molly due to negligence on a farm. We really hope that amends are made by repairing our summer schedule as soon as possible.

How are we going to obtain this goal? We would love to rent the Thor through a website known as RV Share, but we don’t know how to raise the money to repair the damages due to this unfortunate incident. Maybe with a wing and a prayer, someone will sponsor us for our summer activities to continue.

Blessings from the Team at Autisticana

Update Does anyone live to their truth ?

Let the readers know…

We were so excited that American National promised to do the right thing and rent us a summer camper van after their client destroyed ours. Two of their workers Amy and Ryan said we will do everything we can to make up for this, and the loss of your camp and make your autistic kids happy.

The kids were ecstatic to hear those words and in the end they were empty words.

Farmers insurance lied and gave the kids nothing! Not a camper not a dime for lost wages, just false promises and the kids have been forever upset.

Our summer has been destroyed and we still strive to be integral and make lemonade out of lemons.

We were waiting on farmers insurance in New York to follow through on their word? They get a big ZERO ! They act like they cared about the loss of our summer adventure, and that they cared. The truth IS they cared about nothing!. Let the reader decide:

Does anyone have integrity anymore?

Or is everyone out to take advantage of disabled people and just tell them what they want to hear?

We are here to show the world integrity and stand tall to truth and advocate for ourselves, to get what we need to do to make all our lives happier, and to help others with the same love and compassion that we show each other.

To Farmers Insurance, you should be ashamed of yourselves. You wasted two months and ruined our camp and ability to get anything because of your false promises from day one.

We will hopefully turn around to a great group after a few months of tragedy and the right vibration and the real caring people that are really out for the good of the population will come forward and help us rebuild our camp and our camper to have the summer that we deserved, so we could help ourselves and mentor others to do God’s work. American National you should all be ashamed of yourselves and your false promises. Let the readers know…

Written by the team at Autisticana

We say what we mean and mean what we say…

In Norfolk, Virginia, there is an organization centered there named People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. It is an organization that focuses on fighting animal cruelty and abuse in four areas: experimentation, entertainment, eating, and wearing clothing. It also fights against activities involving animal cruelty such as chaining dogs in the backyard and killing animals seen as pests, among other forms.

However, there is an issue that the organization should focus on more: the mistreatment of animals through poisoning, especially at resorts and rentals that use lots of harmful pesticides and chemicals without any disclosure.

This is because my good friend Dr. Christine Grimaldi recently lost her dog, Molly, through this form of mistreatment.

Early on in the year, Christine traveled to California to finish a series of books, as we all are co-authors, and we are using her four dogs as main characters(Molly being the lead) in the books. We also work diligently to develop our blog called Autisticana, which focuses on our group of young adult friends with varied interests. We thank Dr. Christine for being our team captain.

Molly was an integral part of our team as she served as the team’s mascot, and went with us on adventures and learning excursions that we do on a regular basis before we write about it. For the first few weeks before this tragedy, we were fully focused on writing our empowerment books. We were on a roll.

Dr. Christine decided to rent a strawberry farm to create with us, owned by California-based Adohr Farms through the popular home rental service Airbnb in Camarillo. We all thought this would be a beautiful place to work and create peacefully. Who would have thought?

It was there that Molly became ill with pulmonary edema and cancerous cells through a deadly combination of constantly spraying pesticides and sulfuric acid tanks. After one month into their stay, Christine and all the dogs started getting sick, unfortunately, Molly got it the worse. This beautiful dog was never sick a day in her life and was always by everyone’s side. When this happened, Christine rushed everyone to the vet and had friends fly in to drive them all home immediately, with Molly on oxygen.

However, despite this trauma, Dr.Christine kept her hope alive and did everything possible to save her beloved friend Molly, such as making chicken soup with herbal medicine and taking her into her salt cave to help her breathe. This still wasn’t enough to heal her beloved Molly, and she was forced to put her down.

This made Christine so angry at Airbnb to the point where she is currently trying to sue them for not being accountable to guests, especially for animals’ safety on rentals with land that has been infested with pesticides and other fatally harmful chemicals. Her ultimate goal is to make Airbnb be unable to use farms as a form of rental property because of their lack of safety precautions. The fact that these travel platforms are willing to get people sick for money, is enough of a reason for us to make them accountable for multiple counts of murder and negligence. We even investigated them, and this has happened in the past with Airbnb guests, yet they continue to not have any regulations.

Christine has even started a petition through change.org to hold Airbnb accountable for murdering Molly and making herself and her other dogs sick and now depressed.

By reading this post, I hope PETA will take notice and decide to have its legal team be a part of Christine’s fight to hold Airbnb accountable for animal cruelty via chemical poisoning and avenge the deaths of Molly and countless other pets. PETA’s legal team is no stranger to successful legal victories, from freeing a chimpanzee stuck in a roadside zoo full of dust to terminating Seaworld’s orca attraction. Their success has been bolstered by the Freedom of Information Act, which allows them to gain access to records of illegal animal cruelty activities and has pushed for legal jurisdiction which will allow for animals’ protection after they have won these cases.

PETA’s work has been successful to the point where they were the first animal-based group to win Corporate Counsel’s Best Legal Department in 2017. With their help, Autisticana and PETA will become widely famous for being part of a battle in the war against animal cruelty: keeping animals safe from chemical poisoning and banning Airbnb from using rentals that help worsen this cruelty against animals.

Note to Self: This reminded me of Joe Biden’s own advice “for those who have lost loved ones during this pandemic: there is a black hole caused by their loss, but their memory will bring a smile to their lips before a tear to their eyes.”

We pray for Dr. Christine’s healing during this time and want her to know that as a team, we will help her get through this. As she taught us, “We are stronger as a team than we are alone. I am proud to say, we stand by her words, and am proud to be one of her News Makers @ at Autisticana.org

With Love.

Jackson Beach

President

Author, Editor, and Friend

Dr.Grimaldi’s Take Away

” I am so blessed to have such a wonderful group of young adults in my life.

I always try to keep my glass half full, so I can be the change I want to see in the world.

This tragedy has been the worst tragedy for me and the loss of my Molly has made it hard for me to take a breath.” It is not how many breaths we take but the moments that take our breath away. That was Molly for me.

The lesson I learned from all of this is to hold onto precious memories. We are all here for a special reason. Molly was my reason for so long and was a jewel to everyone that met her. She knew when someone needed special consoling and would be the first to sit on their lap.

Through all of this pain, I try to find the blessings in every moment. I am beyond devasted by her loss and the negligence that caused this. I hope in Molly’s honor, her name will live on, and that this tragedy could have been prevented. I hope this brings awareness to @Airbnbtravel

and platforms like these.

“I am in grieving mode and am so grateful to have this wonderful team at Autisticana around me.“

Blessings to you my sweet Molly Goose, my heart will be forever broken but, I thank you so much for sharing your gifts with the world and caring for so many people.