Audio Story post 1.

420: Neighborhood Watch; ACT ONE: Wary Home Companions from 11.19.2010 56:36
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/420/neighborhood-watch?act=1

I'm listening to a story about a woman named Emily who has a son, at 39 years old, and she is asking around to find someone to take care of her son after she dies. A reporter is narrating the story of how Emily goes from the Police Department, to the Mayor's office, to the Human Health Department, posting flyers, and many other resources until she felt sure that someone would absolutely respond. But a couple months went by and basically no one offered help, until one day a foreign man from I think it was Cambodia, answers her calls. This man's name was Pru and Scott and him were having a great time playing air hockey. Pru was the first one to respond, but Scott's Autism interrupted that experience. He randomly decided he wanted to go home and that was the last time Emily heard from the man Pru. Anywho, the story starts to look up as Scott seems to be doing better on his own. He lives directly across the street from his mother Emily, so its easy for her to check in on him, and he has grown to reach out to their neighbors without the help of his mother. With his neighbors he offered to do friendly things like rake their yards, or with one that he befriended he would just be able to confide in that person about his life, how autism has effected it.

When I think about what Emily was doing, and put myself in the shoes of someone who saw the ad for help of Scott I think I would probably just be another one of the non-responders. It's sad to say it, but in my perspective and I'm sur emany other peoples too, it's a big responsibility to take care of a child, let alone a grown man with Autism, not to mention he's a stranger. I'm sure I would be more frightened than willing to open my home to him. Then also, I wondered why she was so sure that she needed someone to be with Scott for the rest of the time beacuse he was doing fine living on his own, and was able to take the initiative when he needed help with something or just wanted someone to talk to. Maybe its just a mother thing, and she was afraid of the many possibilities of what would happen with Scott after she passed away.