Political Quotes

“the pictures that you see here, Mr. Speaker, are of Bonnie and Willis Flick, who were able to go trick-or-treating last night, but only as a result of hard work. Bonnie and Willis dressed up as wizards; but it was really their mother, Patience, who was the true Wizard of Oz in making this night special for them. You see, Bonnie and Willis have autism, a neurological disorder that affects the development of the brain, especially in the areas of social interaction and communications skills. Autism impacts half a million people in our Nation; and in my home State, 50 percent of autistic children reside within our community. Autism manifests itself in different ways. Bonnie can read, but Willis is mostly non-verbal and is only able to tell his mother, with whom he has a strong bond, when he is hungry or sleepy or sick. Others would not understand Willis. Life through the eyes of an autistic child may be a puzzle; but autistic children, as this T-shirt says, are part of our world, not a world apart. I congratulate the National Alliance for Autism Research for hosting Walk FAR for NAAR this Saturday in Key Biscayne. With continued support, we will soon find a cure for autism and the much-needed help for Bonnie and Willis Flick.”