Today is a big day in The Autism Dad household because Gavin turns 20 years old. This would be a milestone birthday on its own but for us, it’s more than that.

For the last decade or so, Gavin’s health has become very fragile. I recently wrote all about that and you can click here to catch up.

Long story short, there were times over last decade, where there was very real concern that Gavin wouldn’t see his next birthday. There were times where Gavin was experiencing an autonomic crisis and it was so bad and latest so long that we were told to prepare for the worst.

These are old photos but they are taken during an autonomic crisis.

I’m grateful for every year we have with him and hitting 20 years is a major milestone. Gavin’s body exists in a very delicate balance and for whatever reason, that balance has been maintained for about the last 6 years now. No one knows for sure what is helping to stabilize him and therefore no one wants to change anything we’re doing.

As of today, Gavin’s doing well and currently trying to decide what he wants for his birthday dinner.

Just wanted to drop a quick shout out to my oldest, on this, his 20th birthday. ☺