Immediately after I finished the phone call with the officer from the sheriffs department, tears started rolling down my face, which completely shocked me. I could not believe that I was crying. I could not stop crying. Why was I crying now??? After all the sad part of this story was absolutely at the beginning, the day that a deputy from the sheriff's office came to our home, over eight years ago.
I was in such a funk for days after our initial meeting. Having the police in your home, taking fingerprints and mug shots of your child. Assisting the officer in getting profile shots and then filling out a form of any identifying marks on your child's body. Despising the fact that we needed this service and at the same time feeling so blessed that the program exists in our county. Before the officer left that first day, he fitted Bobby with a Project Lifesaver GPS tracing device that Bobby has worn every day around his ankle for the past eight plus years.
This bracelet was a vital part of Bobby's childhood. You see, Bobby was a wanderer. It is such a huge problem in the autism community that wandering is now a medical diagnosis. They have zero sense of fear and zero impulse control. On multiple occasions when Bobby was younger, he slipped out of our house undetected. At this time, our house was the most child proofed home that we could make for him, but even all of those safety measures were not infallible. He once walked into our neighbors house wearing nothing but his underwear during cold weather, thankfully it was a neighbor's house and not a strangers.
Our biggest scare with Bobby came one day when he was missing in the woods surrounding our house for about 45 minutes. We were out searching for him, yelling his name and his dad went searching on his 4 wheeler. After 20 minutes, I ran back to the house and called 911 while I was out of breath. All I had to do was give them his name, his transmitter number, where he was last seen and what he was wearing. All of Bobby's information was in their system. Our address, directions to our house, his picture. Thankfully Bob found him, a good bit away from our home, while searching on the 4 wheeler.
In the autism community, wandering is a huge issue, with facebook pages so that autism families in affected communities can help get the word out when I child goes missing in their area. There are postings much more frequently than those outside of the autism community would ever believe. Unfortunately, death of the child due to wandering is way too common of an outcome in these stories, typically by drowning.
Yesterday, I spoke with Bobby's Project Lifesaver officer and told him that we were ready to take Bobby's bracelet off.....Bobby has outgrown his wandering tendency. I spoke with many people in Bobby's life, most importantly his teacher, and we all agreed. One of the conversations that I had on this topic was with my BFF and fellow autism mom, Shelly. Bobby and Sonny pretty much lead the same life anyway and Sonny could have had his removed years ago. she decided too, that it was finally time.
So............TODAY, their Project Lifesaver officer from the sheriff's department is going to school and removing the boys' bracelets!!! A day that both of our families, eight years ago, would have never imagined would arrive. Think I'll go shed a few more tears, happy tears, that this part of their life is behind them and that Project Lifesaver is there is we need to re-enroll.
Merry Christmas Bobby and Sonny, enjoy your naked ankles!!!!!!!
******UPDATE***************************************************************
Mission completed!!!! So grateful that his teacher took pictures and texted them to me today, Of course, I cried a little more!!
