What The Australian Women's Weekly Did For Me

*Some discussions happening in Bergen’s comment boxes regarding the Australian Women’s Weekly triggered some memories, from just about a year back.*

The Australian Women's Weekly is not just a typical women's mag like Cosmopolitan or Glamour etc. It's a real magazine with really nice stuff that I'm sure every woman would enjoy reading. You know, features on famous people, features on everyday family life, fashion, shoes, handbags, sex tips, health tips, quick recipes, gourmet recipes, the works. It's a solid magazine. But me, I buy it mainly for the crosswords.

I am a crossword puzzle freak and am always on the hunt for good crossword puzzles to solve. And so I became ardent fan of the Australian Women’s Weekly. The crossword puzzles are out of this world and can keep you going for weeks until the next month’s issue comes out (of course, that’s if you can only work on puzzles late at night when the rest of the household is asleep and on weekends! Otherwise, you’d finish em in a day!)

Anyway, I had bought an issue in October/November 2004 for the sole purpose of getting the crosswords. But that particular issue was to be more significant than just a batch of crosswords, as it became somewhat of a wake-up call that would change a major part of my life.

As I remember, it was a bright Sunday morning and the children were playing downstairs with their father. I was sitting by the open window in the bedroom having some quiet time alone with my Women’s Weekly. After trying out the puzzles, drooling at the featured recipes, then I came across an article featuring families in Australia with autistic children and some FAQs on autism. I had heard of autism before and I've read many articles about it years back. But the articles in that edition sent shivers down my spine. It hit me then that my youngest son had some of the features described, elevating the fear that I had secretly been harbouring in my mind that something was not right with him. But also something I kept pushing to the back of my mind, thinking that it could not happen to ME. I had chickened out. I didn't want to think about. Until that day.

I could say, it was the worst article I could have ever read, as it delivered such horrid news. As a mother, I could not accept the fact that my son could be autistic, but at the same time I had to be sure, so that I could help him. I did not sleep for easily a week after, thinking of what I had to do, and whether I was brave enough to face reality, if it was autism. I didn’t even share my worries with N. I don’t know why.

Finally I mustered up the courage to go and see a professional. The magazine had advised that the earlier a diagnosis is made, the better. So I followed and I am glad I did. Nasri was about 2 years old then when we first met the psychiatrist. In the end, he was not assessed as autistic, but we had a lot of hard work to do especially with his speech. He has since, gone through assessments and is currently going through his various therapies and what nots. He has changed a lot and is making good progress, laughing with us and becoming such a cute lil attention seeker! He still has rounds of assessments to go through though. The next one is just next week! Pray for us!

Being a mother, I have to admit, that again, I am losing sleep over the prospect of having to face another assessment. It’s like going through a performance review and you feel like you’ve performed dreadfully. But I suppose it really does not matter at the end of the day, what the outcome of the assessment is. If he isn’t autistic, then there are still a lot of things we need to work on with him, looking at his speech abilities now. If he is, then I guess, there are just more things we need to work on with him. It won’t be easy but what needs to be done, has to be done. Either ways, he will have all the love in the world given to him. Nothing less as he’s my son no matter what. There is still a whole lifetime ahead. A beautiful one nontheless.

Looking back, I suppose, the article that I said could have been the worst article I could have ever read was actually one of the best, as I don’t know what would have happened, had I not read it in the Australian Women’s Weekly that day. My actions could have been delayed and we could have wasted so much time not doing anything. The article was probably one of God’s one million and one ways of sending a crossword puzzle freak, a message, that she had to do something, fast!

So God Bless the day I became a crossword puzzle freak. God Bless the Australian Women’s Weekly team for coming up with such awesome crossword puzzles monthly that I don’t ever miss buying the magazine, and so that I came to read that article on that November day. And God Bless the day I finally did something for my son.

Ps. Bergen, go get one today!