A day in the life of David Gerschlowitz

When David was a teenager his behaviour was out of control. I used to dream about darting him, like a game ranger darts a Rhino. I suggested to my ABA team that I carry a water pistol, to spray him, when he’d have terrible meltdowns in public places. To their shock and horror, they advised against such a course of action. I was so desperate!

David would wake up at 5 am every morning. He’d hit his head repetitively on the wall. He’d try headbutt me and used to hit his head and scream for hours on end. I thought the nightmare would never end. When we drove in the car, I was afraid he’d break his head on the glass window. There was no escape from David’s endless tantrums.

Looking back, I really dont know how we survived. Eventually, we just became resilient and immune to the crying and screaming. We were exposed to our son crawling in his skin and hurting himself. He’d pick the scabs on his body until he’d bleed. He refused to eat. He threw up. It was hell.

To be honest, when we got his seizures under control, his behaviour calmed down.

When we were at our lowest point, I never imagined things could change or improve. Well things did change!! It got better and today we’re blessed with a happy David who cooks in his kitchen with Gabby his chef. He also has a driver, who takes him on bike rides and rock climbing.

Khaya is not only David’s driver, but his shadow and body guard. Khaya calls David, his ‘big boss’ and loves his job taking David for coffee and to the supermarket.

When David got wheels. Khaya got wheels. When David went to the sea, khaya went to the sea. Khaya is thrilled with life. We get time away from each other, because I can rely on Khaya.

It wasnt easy for me to trust khaya. I’m fiercly protective over David. But khaya earned my trust. I do admit, that I track David on his phone, which is always in his bag. I track their car too. Its not like David can take a phone call, to reassure me, that they’re on their way home or just running a few minutes late. The life 360 app, allows me to track their location and brings me peace of mind.

I never imagined we’d find a way to create a good life for David. I never imagined we’d be able to take him with us to a wedding celebration or that we’d be able to go out with him and sit down to eat in a restaurant. David has a meaningful life, even though he is profoundly autistic. He relies on his ipad to communicate and can tell us what he wants and where he wants to go. He looks forward to reading his menu for the week and he loves making pizza the most.

I hope David’s story inspires you to keep going and to never give up hope for a better tomorrow.