Toni Braxton stunned fans during a recent concert at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, Nevada, when she broke down in tears while discussing her autistic son. The singer is married to musician Keri Lewis and they have two sons, Denim Cole, four, and Diezel Ky, three.
A source tells MSNBC’s The Scoop,
“She was dedicating ‘I Wanna Be (Your Baby)’ to her son, and then she said something about how people have warned her that she shouldn’t talk about it, but said that he was autistic, and then she started crying and rushed off stage. It was very emotional.”
Fans were moved by Braxton’s honesty and have shown a tremendous amount of support. One fan, who also has an autistic child, wrote to the star saying, “Please don’t lose heart. You’ll see great improvements with your little one. May God bless you and bring your little one around soon.”
Yall make sure you keep Toni and her family in your thoughts/prayer…
Toni,
The Lord does not give us more than we can handle in life. The Lord saw that you are a beautiful and loving woman and knew that you were the perfect solider for this assignment. Hang in there. This child may achieve great things for the world and make momma proud one day!!!! Remember love and devotion conquers all.
first of all children with autism are not called autistic. and she shouldn’t be that sad, there is hope!
Toni Braxton looks great!
I like the dramatic look with the red and the shades.
I work with Autistic students and I think that she will be okay.
She has to figure out what methods of teaching work best with him and with lots of attention and reinforcements, he should excell at his own pace.
This is a very challenging subject for parents but JESUS can help them as a family and they will get through it with faith.
I think that prayer will help her through this.
We should remember her and her family in our prayers.
PRAYER DOES CHANGE THINGS.
HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!
Sorry, but this is long.
I have always been a big Toni Braxton fan. I have a 5 yr old son with autism. I don’t like to say he is “autistic”, because that is not what he is. It is what he has. First and formost he is a little boy and not a label. My heart goes out to Toni. I know that I didn’t sleep much for the first 6 months and did all my research at night when he was sleeping. I know Toni was very upset that her son was not diagnosed sooner when she brought this up with thier pediatrician. This was the same for us. He could have been diagnosed at 15-18 months, but was not diagnosed until 26 mos. Early Intervention is so important at this age. I have taught my pediatrician a lot about autism. He was misinformed 3yrs ago. There is not support for families dealing with this. There is an 80% divorce rate with families with an autistic child. If it is normally 50% with “nurotypical” children, I guess we have 30% more stesses to deal with. I am a moderator of a parent support group. Parents are dealing with so much. Many of the therapies our children need the school districts won’t pay for. If a family can afford the therapies they can run 5 to 20,000 a month and many times it is hard to tell which therapy is making the difference. There is not enough research being done. Things have changed a lot in just 3 yrs. More pediatricians are aware of the early signs of autism. One test is called C.H.A.T. It stands for ChildHood Autism Test. That is why Toni said it could have been caught at 15-18mos. The test is for toddlers this age. The county Regional Services are supposed to be doing community outreach and visiting pediactric offices letting them know if any parents are concern with development whether it be motor skills, speech or social can be referred to them for free screenings and services. Regional services do not do this enough probably because they can’t afford to support so many children out there that are falling through the cracks. Helping families and giving them all the referals to resources has help me heal. By turning something positive out of something so devastating. We can all do our part, because someday we will all know someone touched with with heartbreaking disability. The autism community could really benefit from a well respected spokesperson like Toni Braxton. She didn’t hide her son’s autism, but showed us that autism has no boundaries and can affect anyone. I’m sure she has enough on her plate right now as many of us parents do, but she could make a huge difference to our community. There is so much political bullshit surrounding autism its criminal. Read, “Evidence of Harm”. It has to do with the vaccines and mercury. The phamacutical companies are not spending any money on research not only because there is no money to be made for them with autism- it’s not like there is some magic pills cocktail like there is for aides. In addition they won’t do any research because they could posibly be the ones that pushed many of these children over the edge into autism. If you want to make a difference, vote for politicians that support autism research and therapy funding and health care reform. Attitude is the REAL disability.
Michelle
mother to a 5yr old angle
Toni:
I know you probably feel that you are in a bottomless pit of hopelessness and despair — a deep, dark abyss that nobody else can possibly understand. And if there was anything I could do for you and for all others who are going through this, I would. I have a 5-year-old son with autism, who was never caught by the pediatrician at all, but rather by a SLP relative when he was 3-1/2. So I share your frustration about the ignorance/misinformation of the medical profession. However, a lot of what these people are saying is true:
a.) Pray — it DOES work
b.) Do your homework as I’m sure you are
c.) Be patient — progress can be painfully slow
d.) Hope — there are so many “success” stories in the autism world — your son can be one of those … who knows?
e.) Believe — if you don’t…how can he?
f.) Love and accept. I’m still working on that second part, but I believe it can make all the difference.
And please know there are many, many of us out there who share your struggles. You are not alone — among us strangers – nor among your friends and family.
You are in my prayers.
Caity
WOW THATS REALLY SAD. YOU ALWAYS PRAY THAT YOUR KIDS COME OUT HEALTHY BUT WHEN IT DOESN’T IT CAN BE DEVASTATING. I HOPE THAT SHE IS ABLE TO BECOME MORE STRONGER FOR HER SON, SHE DOES NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT. HOLDING IT IN WILL MAKE HER CRAZY.
I too am a mother of an 11 year old with Autism. I agree with Michelle, there is a ton of misinformation around this condition. My son was full of Mercury, and Lead. Where did the Mercury come from? I believe my son was poisoned by the vaccinations. Thimerasol, a Mercury based preservative (49%) was and still is in the vaccinations (and flu shots) and kids are STILL getting sick. Why are pediatricians telling parents give their babies 35 shots by 18 months? Who said it is safe? It’s possible there are other contributing factors as well, I have amalgam (metal) fillings in my teeth, our soil is depleated, pollution, and so on. Even so, why put at deadly poisonous, neuro-toxin (second only to Uranium) in vaccines and inject it into babies, absurd. I gave birth to a healthly 9lb.1oz. baby boy and basically watched him start to deteriorate by 18 months. The CDC says there is no link between Autism and vaccines, but if you follow the money trial it’s obvious why they say this. The CDC, Pharmaceudical Companies and the higher-ups in the Medical community are all in cahoots which each other. The bottom line is GREED and Corporate Self interest, it’s all about the money. Eli Lily the manufacturer of Thimerasol attached a rider to the Home Land Security Bill protecting themselves from being litigated against. Look it up! There IS data linking this national crisis to “hot” vaccinations, it’s been covered up and changed by well funded Pharmaceudical Companies and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the powers that be that benefit from this tragedy.
FYI..if you look up Mercury Poisoning and Autism, they look like the SAME THING!!!!
I am raising my son a single parent (my ex-husband could’nt deal) it’s very hard, but I have personally seen miracles.
I have always felt deep down that my boy was not born this way. The more I understood the biomedical aspects of this thing we call Autism and began to address each issue, one by one, the better my son got. Yes, he used to be incontinent, did not sleep at night, and was horribly self-injurous, head banging, crying constantly, et cetera, but now he isn’t. He is thriving and exceeding all expectations. Therapies are great but, please help your child’s body begin to heal itself. They are suffering and can’t say, “my guts are on fire”, “I’m in pain all the time”.
Please don’t ever give up and don’t EVER give in or take no for an answer. Listen to your gut. We are all they have and we must fight for our children.
I too have felt cursed at times, but my son is my hero, he has given my a different heart for world and taught me what love and courage really is. When I get into self pity, I look at my son and all he’s come through and I know I can continue to carry on….. Listen, there is a God that will never leaves us for forsake us, and we are not here to have a perfect life, but I take comfort in knowing that though I walk through some deep very water, I do not walk through it alone.
Toni, my heart is with you and your family……..
Stacee
Please Google
Mother’s Against Mercury
The Britni Foundation
http://www.nvic.org
http://www.brainchildnutritionals.com
my nephew has autism and I know other parents who struggle with this complex disorder. I want you to know there is one friend of mine that reversed the autism in her child. He speaks with confidence and authority, He is a example that all things are possible. She has been sharing her story and I know the information would be valuable to all those who are searching for answers. Keep your head to the sky and know that God has something in store for you and your family ,receive it!!!
BLESSINGS
AJ TONEY
To Michelle, I’m afraid I have to disagree with you about something. I have an autistic child also, and I believe she is autistic, rather than has autism. My belief is that autism is not a disease that you have, it is a way of experiencing the world. Everything that she does, every way that she experiences her physical and social world, she does through what I call “autistic eyes”, which changes everything. The means that her experience of her world is totally different to a neurotypical experience. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, although sometimes it can be a hard thing, made harder by the attitude of other people and a lack of support services etc. The way she sees the world can be magical and fascinating, a gift. I feel privileged to be able to see the world through her autistic eyes. But it’s not something she has, like brown hair, or a hat or something. It’s part of her, it is her. It took me time to realise that, and when I did, I understood her so much better. And often it is exhausting, and there have been times, in the early days of her diagnosis, when I wished it wasn’t so, like all of us, but it is who she is and I am very proud of her, like you are of your child. So I agreed with everything you said, except that.
To Toni Braxton, I am not going to throw platitudes or bullshit. You are going through a hard time right now, it is your grief process. It will take time to get through that. But your grief is about you in the end, grieving for the child you thought you had and the plans you had for him, and the hard road you are going to have. And that’s OK, that’s normal. We all felt that way, and some days we still feel that way. And when you are ready, you will pick it up and run with it and be the best mother you can be for him. Just don’t go down the ABA path. It’s wrong, it’s bullying, and it was created by a nazi (seriously) who used to experiment on autistic children).
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My son is to autistic. There is nothing to be sad about. It is a blessing. My son was very difficult before we ever found out that he has autism. It is the most rewarding moments in our lives to see him excel. He is about to be six and we didnt find out until after his fourth birthday. Every child is different, but you get to be a kid with him. Explore life through his eyes.
OH I LOVE HER AND MAY GOD BLESS HER
GOOOOOOD
MOST ESPECIALLY I LOVE MARTINS HE IS MA MAIN BOY
Awwwww that is so sad who would of thought?
Ms. Braxton
When you think the whole world is on your shoulder, just remember that the Lord hand picks special people for special children. We live in a world where we have our standands for how things should be but. we have to realize that God sees beauty and good in everything. Be encouraged. The Lord have your wonderful boy in his hands. So when you feel that the world is on your shoulders let the Lord carry the load. Deisel may not be fluent in everything he does but like all autistic kids, they are the most lovable human beings you will ever meet in life. Cherish him and you will be rewarded.Do not hide him, let his light shine. Share experiences of him with others. I am sure that once you told the world about Diesel you felt some much better. You are not alone. God will always be there on you trust in him.
Love
Anne Griffin
Nassau, Bahamas
I am with Toni on this, she is an entertainer that’s how they got the nice house they live in and all the luxuries she has. BUT now I hear the husband wants to divorce her. They have an autistic child this is when your marriage vows kick in; remember that part? ‘for better OR WORSE’
Not being rude to her husband, but your boyband days are over dear. You have a wife and son that need you at home, please don’t chase a career that was barely there in the first. Toni was well known and sucessful when she met you, you were on the verge of your career but she was the sucess and she did that without you. Now, she needs you and you want to desert her when she needs you most. You ass too old to be chasing your career it no longer exists.. Look after the kids while Toni works and when she’s done you can share the looking after together. Stick together now more than ever cos it’s obvious Toni loves you. You are her husband look after her.
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