We became the Wilson family in May 2014. Waylon was born in June of 2015. I have always wanted to be a mom. I wanted to know what it felt like to have someone to love me as much as I did them and to love me no matter what. Little did I know GOD was going to bless me with the perfect child to teach me the true meaning of unconditional love. I noticed after a year that he did not react to things like most children his age did. 
After the doctor suggested we test Waylon for Autism around age 2, I knew in my heart what the results were going to be, but I prayed that I would be wrong. We got the Autism diagnosis August 2017. My heart broke. Waylon not only has autism he is also non-verbal and has a lot of sensory issues. He chews almost everything. He is the typical picky eater that comes along with autism. I didn’t know much of anything about Autism and I was so scared that Waylon would never be able to live in this world without a caretaker. Fast forward three years and I still have the same fear BUT, I would NOT change absolutely anything about him. (Well maybe his stubbornness..ha) In just 5 years Waylon has taught me so much about life. Things like; not to judge a book by its cover, to love unconditionally, that no matter the progress big or small, it’s still progress, and last, we are all different and that’s ok. Waylon has two older half-brothers Joshua (17) and Landon (14) who are absolutely wonderful with him. We try to explain things to them and help them understand the world of Autism as we are learning. Waylon absolutely adores his brothers and stays attached at the hip when they are with us. 
Waylon loves being outside. He loves to be free to run in the open yard. He loves swings and the trampoline. One of his favorite things to do when he stays with his grandmother is to set on her porch in her swing and just stare at the trees and the sky. We have had our ups and downs with autism and life-threatening health scares because of it. Waylon has shown us that life can throw you a curveball. All you do is take a breath and swing for the stars. Amazing things will happen, you just got to trust GOD.
Gifting: Waylon was gifted a therapy swing like one he has at therapy. He is now able to swing at home! He was also gifted a play set! Thanks to Waylon and his family’s patience and eagerness to jump in, as well as a few other volunteers, we were able to knock assembly out in 2 days!
Ashla, Waylon’s mom, is doing what she can in her community for children with disabilities, as well! She knows how inaccessible resources can be by personal experience and has stepped up to help in her local school system! We are so glad to know people who stand up to make change and fight for these children. We know she is making a big impact!
Check out Waylon’s feature on the SGF Instagram page here.
Gift: Cocoon swing, swing stand, and swing set
Given: June 2020
Location: Trion, Georgia