Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: “when you look at these posters, you see beautiful, happy children. But what you do not know is that Bonnie and Willis…”

“when you look at these posters, you see beautiful, happy children. But what you do not know is that Bonnie and Willis Flick are beautiful, happy children with autism. Autism is a neurological disorder that impacts half a million people in America. This disorder makes it hard for them to communicate with others and to relate to the outside world. Autistic children have difficulties in communications, in social interactions and even in play activities. I am a very close friend of Bonnie and Willis Flick's parents and I have seen the distress and the frustration that dealing with autism may impose on families. Approximately 50 percent of Florida's families with autism reside within my community of south Florida and Bonnie and Willis Flick are just two. But the Flicks are among the fortunate few who can afford intervention and counseling to help them cope with autism, because when one child suffers with autism, indeed the entire family is impacted. Last week, the House passed the Children's Health Act to fight against autism by establishing centers to develop treatment and prevention methods. Thousands of children like Bonnie and Willis Flick will benefit from this research because for families living with autism, until we find a cure, research is what keeps our hopes alive.”