Joshua's Cruise with Autism on the Seas

Good afternoon everyone.. My name is Ebony and my son name is Joshua. Joshua is 12 years old. He was born at 23 weeks weighing 1lb 8ozs. Joshua spent 8 months in the NICU/PICU. Throughout his development, he has been diagnosed with autism, speech delayed and intellectual disability. I am fundraising for the Autism on the Seas cruise for Spring Break (April 2 - April 9, 2023)..

Every day we live with the direct effects of autism. The challenges are great and require a constant devotion from each family member, with some days requiring more energy than others. Joshua has blessed us with so many wonderful moments but has changed the way we are able to approach events that others are able to do on a regular basis. Autism affects us as a family mentally, physically, emotional and financially. We haven’t had a true family vacation together since February 2019. I would be thankful & appreciative with any donations to help assist me with our journey.

Autism on the Seas is a non-profit company that allows families like ours to experience a vacation that at one time we would have imagined to be impossible. They arrange specific special needs accommodations with the cruise lines and they provide professionally qualified staff to assist us with expedited port check-in, meal assistance, pool time supervision, beach excursions, respite (time for [insert family member name with special needs] to be well cared for while the rest of the family can do other things), and many other perks and assistance. Autism on the Seas also provides pre-cruise professional consultation and valuable resources, including connecting with other families for support.