Welcome to Raffy's Trust.org!

This is our little boy Raffy, as you can see he is drop dead gorgeous but he has some very serious difficulties in life.
Please take a few minutes to read the info and have a browse of the Son-Rise® link.
Thanks, Bri & Ruth

Saturday 26 June 2010

Son-Rise & Lydiate Social Evening for Raffy!






Last night -Friday 25th June- was the Lydiate Social evening organised by Ronni at St Gregory's Church in Lydiate. Thank you to everyone who has supported Raphael, bought raffle tickets and attended last night. I'm expecting an update from my Mum later today, and some photos this week.

It was also the Son-Rise Start Up Program week 13 June - 18 June in Sheffield Massachusets US at The Option Institute.

I flew with Virgin Atlantic to JFK in New York, then it was shuttle bus to New York City, train the from Grand Central Station to Wassaic. En route I passed Pleasantville, Chappaqua (Bill & Hillary Clinton live here), Patterson and other very pretty New England towns. Then finally a taxi from Wassaic to the Option Institute which lies on the border of Massachusets and Conneticut. I shared a room with Faith from Canada and Wendi from Michigan US. Who were both great roomies!

The week was fantastic to put it mildly!
We covered the treatment options (lifestyle, part time, full time), the main principles (autism is not a behavourial disorder, repetitious behaviours have important meaning & value and the parent is the child best resource), our attitude to ourselves and our child is hugely important - being loving & accepting, using energy, excitement & enthusiasm, observing our child, being in the moment with our child.

I will post more later about the Son-Rise and working with Raffy. A key part of the program is eye contact and joining him in his world in order to build the relationship then requesting him to join us in our world...

Thursday 10 June 2010

Raffy & Eden!



Came home from work this afternoon, opened the front door and this was the sight that met my eyes!

Eden sat on Raffy's tummy and both of them giggling! Eden was bouncing up and down (she does this on Mum & Dad frequently).

Brilliant, I think they are starting to really bond!?

Tuesday 8 June 2010

More tea at my Mum's on 15th May...




Tea & biscuits in Lydiate at my Mum's place!





Raffy today!

Son-Rise course, bike riding, odds...

I go to the US for the Son-Rise course this weekend and (apart from finishing Raffy's food diary for Gt Ormond Street hospital) we seem to be ready... Managed to finish filling in the large registration form for the Son-Rise Program and have all the information to get to the Option Institute from New York.
Raffy enjoyed himself at playschool yesterday and was apparently 'very chatty'. However he did manage to leave his giraffe behind and he's been harrassing Mum or Dad ever since to 'find' him. (No sign of my keys yet).

Raffy looks very cute at the moment with his new haircut (unofficially cut by his mum). See photo above!

Dom & Dom (we never did get a photo) did brilliantly on their bike ride for Raffy! Raised almost £500! Not even managed to talk to Dom O yet!

I do have some photos of Mum's coffee morning in Lydiate and I will post some up later today.

Apologies for the scatty nature of this post. I'm not sure if Brian will be able to find the time to post anything next week. Probably not, he'll be run off his feet!
I hope I can take a few photos at the course and post them when I get back.

Thank you to everyone who is helping us do this for Raffy. It has already helped a huge amount, bringing us together with our family and friends, giving us optimism and support. From people we know and people we have never met.

St. Gregory's Church in Lydiate are having a social evening for Raffy on Friday 25th June organised by Ronni.

Thank you for all your kind donations, thoughts and prayers. Also had a really lovely email from Roisin in Australia who is doing great stuff with her young fellow Declan!

Don't think I can take any knitting on my trip away. Knitting needles are probably seen as weaponry on international flights.

Anyway on that note, I'll sign off xxxxxxxx