Will you share your story?

My voice is starting to grow old here. I'm reaching out for your stories about Mike, and pictures of you and him if you have them! You can submit them to bex.ann.paz@gmail.com

Here's mine.

Mike and I grew up in Ohio, and we spent a LOT of time at home together as kids. He's six years younger than me, so I was in charge of watching him a lot during the summers, weekends, and school breaks. We played a lot of video games, and I remember rejoicing in epic fanfare when we finally beat the Mario 64 game sometime in the late 90s.

When I went away to college and then moved to San Diego, Mike spent a lot of days alone at our dad's house in a very rural part of Ohio. Due to his autism he never learned to drive or ride a bike, so he was socially starved and experiencing poor mental health. I spoke with my Dad about taking officially over his care through Social Security and moving him with me to Denver. It was a natural choice.

The photo below is from our dad and step mom's wedding in Las Vegas. I planned my move around that event and made it a stop between San Diego and Denver. It was absolutely beautiful, and a really special time when "all" of our itty bitty family was together.

Once in Denver, I found him a historic apartment in Capitol Hill where he could walk and scoot to grocery stores, restaurants, bars, and cultural centers. For the first time in his life, he was thriving. Seeing his glow up as he built a community that loved and included him was amazing. Right now I am really enjoying all of the stories I missed about his journey over the past two years.

Mike really is an incredible human. We're rooting for ya, brother.