Maria’s Brother, Matty
Matty is 26 years old now. He is long done with school and intensive ABA therapy. He has made progress and continues to do so. However, he never learned to read, he cannot count and numbers have little meaning for him, he is able to dress himself with assistance and has improved a little with other self-help tasks but he is certainly not independent. In fact, he still requires almost constant oversight. He cannot be left alone for more than a minute or two. Outside of his family and his aids, he has no friends. He volunteers at various places such as the greater Pittsburgh Food Bank and Meals on Wheels and works at simple tasks with supervision. We are still waiting to hear his voice.
This is not a letter of surrender. We have not given up on Matty and never will. He has made progress and we are confident he will continue. We have developed a program that gets him out into the community every day. Our home is base, but aids take him to volunteer sites and a variety of other activities. He seems to enjoy some of the activities and interacts with his family, support staff, and many others at his volunteer sites. We are working hard to make his life meaningful. Yet, we still want more for Matty. We are still praying for that new therapy or the medical breakthrough that will dramatically alter his future. We want to hear his voice and continue to believe that research is the best hope.
So, 19 after years of walking and raising money for autism research, our team, Marchers for Matty will be at the 20th annual Pittsburgh Autism Walk. Because of your support in the past, we have raised over $250,000 to fund the most promising research. This research has led to a better understanding of autism and will certainly be the basis for even better treatments and maybe even a cure. We pray that someday we will be able to hear Matty’s voice and we are grateful we have a chance every year to bring that dream closer to reality. Please consider joining us or supporting us. We are humbled by the love and generosity so many people who have shown for Matty and our family in the past. We hope you consider helping us again this year.
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 | Mark Wallace on Maria’s Brother, Matty |
Crawlin' 4 a Cure 
Below is a letter describing Matty’s and his family’s struggle with autism.
Dear Friends and Family:
For most, a 21st birthday is an important life milestone. It usually marks the true beginning of adulthood. It is a time when formal education concludes and career paths emerge. For many, there are thoughts of marriage and family. Ultimately, a 21st birthday is a celebration of the future. A future filled with hope and opportunity. In August of this year, my son Matthew turns 21 years old. His birthday will not mark the beginning of a bright future. Rather, it will be the start of a difficult transition. As an adult, he will lose the schooling he has known for 16 years, the home program and therapeutic staff he has known 18 years and home health care services he has experienced for 4 years. His education and training will end and his caregivers will change.
I wish this transition marked the beginning of a new phase of life filled with hope and opportunity. Unfortunately, that will not be the case. We, along with many others, have worked hard and long; but essentially Matty is still profoundly impaired. Despite hours of intensive teaching, he cannot talk, read, write or work with numbers. He really doesn’t fully understand the notion of work, completing a task or money. He still has seizures and episodes of anger and frustration. He has no friends, does not understand humor or beauty. He cannot care for himself and is not ready and may never be ready for the normal world of adulthood. He probably will never be able to work at any kind of job without lots of support. Moreover, even if he could work, the tasks he performed would be cruelly repetitive and mundane.
We have worked hard to expose him to all sorts of activities. We dreamed of him having some type of special talents or remarkable aptitudes. We wanted him to look forward to doing things, to find fulfillment and to simply enjoy his life. Yet, as he turns 21 years old, we are not sure of how we will meaningfully occupy his time. Opportunities for adults with Matt’s level of disability are scarce and most placements that do exist are overcrowded, poorly staffed holding places.
Thinking about Matt’s 21st birthday is not pleasant. It is more of the same sense of hopelessness and fear we have endured for so long. We are frankly tired and often frustrated; but have no intention of giving up. We will never stop dreaming for him and fighting to make those dreams a reality. We will find or create an adult program for him that will allow him to keep growing. We will find the funding to pay for it. Most importantly, we will never stop searching and working toward finding better medical treatments and ultimately a cure for autism. No child or adult should have to suffer as Matthew has suffered. Family members should not have to live with constant fear and worry. Everybody deserves a future.
Since 2000, we have fought autism for Matthew’s future by participating in the Pittsburgh Walk Now for Autism Speaks. Our walk team, Marchers for Matty, has raised nearly $195,000 for autism research, awareness and advocacy. Seeing our friends and family, as well as 10,000 others united in a common effort, is inspiring. Knowing we are not alone in the fight for Matty’s future inspires us and gives us hope.
Many receiving this letter have walked with us or donated to our cause in the past. Thank you, and I hope you can help us again this year. If you can walk, great! If you can walk and raise money, even better! If you have not walked, but donated in the past, I hope you will consider supporting us again this year. The Walk will be held at Heinz Field on June 1st beginning at 12:00 noon. If you would like to join us, please register online at the address below and I will be in contact with you. If you would like to donate, you can also do that on online at the address below or you could mail a check made out to Autism Speaks to me at 605 12th Street, Pitcairn, PA 15140. Thank you for your help in making Matt’s future and others that struggle with autism more promising.
Sincerely Yours,
Mark Wallace