Team Tyler Hall of Fame

Our family has benefited greatly from being surrounded by very loving and caring people. I've often kidded that we have a "Tyler Hall of Fame" which is a collection of those people who have given of themselves in selfless ways.  Then I thought it would actually be nice to occasionally highlight one of these folks so that they might get the recognition that they so desperately deserve.  And while many readers may not know who the inductees are, I would hope it serves as an homage to someone that you do know, or that it may serve as an example of the wonderful people that are out there.

Today's inductees are my in-laws, Pam and Andy.  

Its important to remember that autism awareness and the general awareness of many mental health issues is NEW, relatively speaking. In my in-laws's generation PTSD was considered "battle fatigue".  Even in my generation children like Tyler were kept in separate schools or classrooms located away from other kids.  This lends itself to older generations being less accustomed to how special needs are treated today.  

What makes my in-laws special is that despite growing up in a much different generation, they opened their hearts to do whatever they could to help.  They worked hard to learn as much about Tyler as they could.  They have never stopped supporting all of us regardless of what we struggle with.  Tyler always knew that he was deeply loved when he was with them. Whether we were having a holiday dinner, or riding the Tower of Terror at Disney World, they have always been right there for him.  They have contributed in more ways than we could ever begin to count, and we would not have been the same without them.

Let us never forget that perhaps the most important people in our lives are the ones that love us even when they don't have the first-hand experience to relate to what we are going through. The ones that refuse to shy away especially when things are hard.  The ones that would never miss a happy time for all the world.

So today we honor Pam and Andy and all of those family member and friends who love unconditionally.