I'd like to show my support for the Communities of Crocus. We are now a family of three. Our two older children have families of their own, and one even lives out of state. Our youngest, Kimber, is 35, and lives with us. She was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome at age 5. It was a degenerative disease, in that, at the age of 12 to 18 months, she didn't progress in abilities, and is literally frozen in time, not developing normally along with her peers. Medically, her MECP2 gene did not turn on. This left her trapped in her body, unable to communicate, barely walk, have seizures and having to have every daily living task performed for her. She has to be bathed and fed, and is in diapers and a wheelchair. Thirty five years ago we were younger and healthier, and able to handle all that. I do, occasionally, have in-home help with the harder tasks involving lifting, when my husband is not home. We are both in our sixties, though, with failing health. We are her primary caregivers, and with our two oldest raising their own families, we have to consider that one day we will not be able to do this. Our biggest fear is to have to put her in a place where we cannot have access to her all the time, and have to rely on strangers to understand all the nuances of being Kimber. This community is an answer to the prayers of every parent in our position. It is a step above a group home or a nursing home, in that the difficult tasks we would no longer be able to do would be performed by specialists, who know they have the support of the parents walking distance away. We will live so close that we would be able to be there in minutes, should the need arise. We would also be able to easily visit, and have that feeling of knowing that with us nearby, our children will be well-cared for. It will be an actual "community." Families in the same unique situations will have the support and understanding of each other...we would all be in the same boat. It doesn't take a psychologist to explain the tremendous impact that has when you are raising children with special needs. This "model" of care is desperately needed by all families facing what we are facing. The worst feeling in the world is, what happens to our loved ones when we can't take care of them? I cannot stress enough the importance of community, especially for those who don't have other family or friends that can offer any support. I enourage anyone who has the means, to support this effort. Even if you don't see it affecting you personally...I think we all know someone who could benefit by this. I remember reading a book by Christopher Reeve, called, "Still Me." He was a famous actor who fell off a horse, and was paralyzed the rest of his life from the neck down. His wife started out being his caregiver. After a while, it changed the husband/wife dynamic. They realized, not only that Christopher needed more help than his wife could provide, but that being a caregiver, changed the marriage...even threathened the health of the marriage. After they were able to get help, they got back to being husband and wife. Caring for a loved one with special needs, does change the dynamic of the relationship. The stress never ends. I remember when we finally got respite and my husband and I could go out on a date again. It was like we were new people! We found we needed the breaks to be good parents to Kimber. The Communities of Crocus also has the ability to restore the relationships within a family that break down under the stress of constant caregiving. As Christopher Reeve proved, this could happen to ANYONE, at ANY TIME in their lives. The sooner we develop communities like this, the better we ALL will be, knowing, that at any moment in time, one of us could need something like this. It takes time to do this, time and money, and there's no time like the present and no better money spent, than planning for care for our loved ones. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to show how vitally important this is.