By Andrea Kane
CNNhealth.com Producer

Last winter, I was told that my young daughter had walking pneumonia. Walking pneumonia? My mind, fueled by alarm, raced: What is walking pneumonia? (A very mild inflammation of the lungs.) Is it serious? (While it can become serious, it is not usually a problem and often heals on its own.) Is she going to be alright? (Of course.) She had very mild symptoms – a cough, a fever – and she wasn’t all that uncomfortable. Her pediatrician said some people let the walking pneumonia resolve itself (that’s how mild it is!), but that I might want to opt for a course of antibiotics. Not wanting to risk complications, and wanting to ease her symptoms sooner rather than later, I quickly agreed (antibiotic-opposed husband be darned). Thanks to access to medical care, my daughter was well within a couple of days; she and I quickly put the episode behind us.

The story ends differently for the more than 2 million children who die of pneumonia – walking pneumonia’s much more deadly cousin - every year. Save the Children, an international humanitarian organization, reports that pneumonia (which can be cause by bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites) kills more children under 5 worldwide than measles, malaria and AIDS combined. Pneumonia accounts for 20 percent of all deaths in this - the youngest and most vulnerable – age group. That’s one child dead from pneumonia every 15 seconds. The vast majority of deaths – 98 percent – occur in South Asia and sub-Sahara Africa.

A great many of these deaths could be prevented with existing inexpensive vaccines or treated with inexpensive antibiotics. But the families of children in the 68 countries most affected by pneumonia either don’t know about available vaccines and antibiotics, don’t have access to them or can’t afford them. And that’s a tragedy.

But the flip side of tragedy is hope. Global health authorities, including WHO and UNICEF, are recognizing November 2 as the first-annual World Pneumonia Day and have outlined a six-year action plan to take the first steps in beating back this beast. The GAPP plan, as it is called, includes education, protection, prevention and treatment efforts, targeting both governments and individuals.

Dr. Bill Frist (the former U.S. Senate Majority Leader and a trustee of Save the Children) and Dr. Richard Sezibera (Rwanda’s Minister of Health) write in this week’s edition of The Lancet, “… lives continue to be lost from this preventable and treatable disease, and, until recently, there was little outcry.”

I for one am glad there is new attention being brought to bear on an old adversary. No parent should have to mourn the death of a child from a preventable and treatable illness.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

As a  feature of CNNhealth.com, our team of expert doctors will answer readers' questions. Here's a question for Dr. Gupta.

From Shannon:

"I have a 4-month-old infant and I recently had myself and my 6-year-old son vaccinated for H1N1. My question is, will my infant also gain my immunity to H1N1 through my breast milk? I hope so." 

Answer:

This is a great question and a huge concern for many parents whose children are less than 6 months old and therefore too young to get the H1N1 vaccine. Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to your question, Shannon, so the best we can do is spell out what we do know.

We know that any time you breastfeed your 4-month-old, you pass on potent antibodies (proteins that your immune system produces to fend off disease in the body) that protect him or her against a whole range of infections.

We also know a bit about other vaccines and breast milk, for example, the pneumococcal vaccine that protects against things like pneumonia and meningitis. According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, mothers who received that vaccine produced antibodies that were detectable in their breast milk, and passed them on to their babies. What is not as clear is whether those antibodies actually conferred immunity to their newborns.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance about breast milk and the flu vaccine is a tinge more hopeful, albeit far from conclusive: "By breastfeeding, mothers can pass on to the infant the antibodies that their bodies make in response to the flu shots, which can reduce the infant's chances of getting sick with the flu."

While experts wrestle with this question, you have already taken a positive step – and significantly reduced your baby’s chances of getting the H1N1 virus – by getting yourself vaccinated. The next step is to create a "cocoon of protection" around your baby by making sure that other caregivers in the family also get vaccinated.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Miriam Falco
CNN Medical News Managing Editor

Expectant parents have a lot to think about as the birth of their child approaches. Parenting classes can provide tips on a variety of topics including breathing techniques to help get through labor, breastfeeding and how to place your baby in the bassinet or crib to avoid sudden infant death syndrome. SIDS is the leading cause of death among babies age 1 month to 1 year. According to the National Institutes of Health, most of these unexplained deaths occur between the ages of 2 and 4 months.

The exact cause is not known, but experts believe that the how a baby sleeps can play a big role in preventing a baby from dying. Having the baby sleep on his or her back is the No. 1 recommendation. Keeping the baby's bed free of anything that might suffocate him or her is also very important, which is why the American Academy of Pediatrics has the following guideline:

"Keep soft objects and loose bedding out of the crib: Soft objects such as pillows, quilts, comforters, sheepskins, stuffed toys, and other soft objects should be kept out of an infant's sleeping environment." The group also says that if bumper pads are used, they should be “thin, firm, well secured, and not pillow-like.” Further, the academy says, “loose bedding such as blankets and sheets may be hazardous."

Now a new study finds that would-be parents are getting a mixed message, at least from some ads and photos in popular magazines. According to this study, researchers looked at nearly 400 pictures in 28 popular magazines. Among photos that were used in advertising and articles, researchers found only 36 pictures depicting children in a safe sleeping position.

Most of the images pictured infant sleep environments that did not reflect AAP guidelines to prevent SIDS.

It reminded me of some of the images I saw surfing the Web as I was looking to outfit my baby’s nursery and put things on my registry for my shower.

I saw bedding sets with thick bumpers and blankets, which was confusing to me because I thought the only thing that's supposed to be in my baby's bed is the firm mattress, a sheet and him. My confusion seems to mirror what the researchers of this new study found. They found that "messages in the media are inconsistent with health care messages, create confusion and misinformation...and may lead inadvertently to unsafe practices."

Have you seen images of babies wrapped in blankets and/or placed in super-soft bedding? Would images like this influence how you put your baby to sleep?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Andrea Kane
CNNhealth.com Producer

Pssst: Come here… A bit closer. I have a confession to make: One of my daughters has L-I-C-E. And it is driving me crazy, because it just will not go away, no matter how much I cut, comb and nitpick her hair. And I’ve been doing a lot of nitpicking lately – at times, I feel like a mama chimp grooming her child (minus popping the “prize” into my mouth). My daughter gets cranky having to sit there for an hour (especially when I pull an individual hair strand to remove an egg - aka: nit - that is cemented on) and I get cranky, too.

According to the CDC, there are an estimated 6 million to 12 million head lice infestations each year in the U.S. among children 3 to 11 years old. Lice are usually transmitted through direct head-to-head contact. Less commonly, they can be passed on via a hat, comb, pillow or other personal object (contrary to our worst fears, lice don’t dive-bomb from one person’s head to another’s). Cleanliness and socioeconomic status have little to do with getting head lice, although race may have an impact; African-Americans are less likely to get them.

Aside from being icky and itchy, head lice are not known to transmit disease (although hard scratching can cause a secondary infection). That said, you don’t want them hanging around.

Our “ordeal” started in mid-May when I stopped by the school nurse’s office for her to have a look-see because her two best friends had it (that, and she was scratching an awful lot). “You see right there - those are nits,” she said, pointing to what looked like a bitty grain of salt on the hair shaft.

The nurse instructed me to shampoo my daughter’s with an over-the-counter pediculicide (lice-killing) shampoo, then comb out all the nits because OTC shampoos do not kill all the eggs (only the heavy-duty, super-toxic, prescription shampoo does). The third step (after shampooing and nitpicking) is to delouse personal objects.

At the drug store, the choices were many: popular OTC shampoos (with either pyrethrins – derived from chrysanthemums - or their synthetic cousin permethrin), homeopathic treatments (that promise to kill lice without harsh chemicals), gels to help with the nitpicking– even an electric comb that electrocutes the lice.

I ended up buying the store brand, partially because it offered the most shampoo at the cheapest price (the shampoos are expensive and we are - except for my husband - a household of long, curly-haired females, so we needed quantity, especially since we didn’t want to skimp). I slathered it on my daughter’s hair, waited 10 minutes, then rinsed and, with a fine-toothed comb, I combed… and combed… and combed, trying to get all of the nits out. Have I mentioned that she has long curly hair? A lot of it? A thick underbrush of it? Well, it took a long time to through it all. Except that I didn’t get it all: We both grew impatient before I was done.

Then, I threw all of her bedding into the wash, boiled all the combs and hairclips, and quarantined her stuffed animals and brushes. And for good measure, my husband and I shampooed our hair and washed our linens (as luck would have it, there had been a thunderstorm the night before and we played musical beds). I also checked her sister’s hair: Nothing! Mom 1, lice 1.

The next day, the lice were gone. And for a few glorious days, I thought we had dodged a bullet.

With most of the OTC shampoos, you have to retreat between seven and 10 days after the initial treatment, when the eggs that the shampoo failed to kill the first time finally hatch and repopulate the hair - but before the nymphs can grow into adults capable of reproducing. The life cycle of lice is about three weeks.

But before we could get halfway to retreatment time, they were back. So I cut off six inches of my daughter’s hair and we tried another brand of OTC shampoo; this one did not work at all (lice can become resistant to a particular pediculicide). So I went back to the first shampoo and I bought the electric comb (which was pretty cool and did electrocute some lice, but apparently not all). When that failed, I tried the homeopathic shampoo that works by dehydrating the lice and their eggs (this one you have to leave on for at least an hour, instead of 10 minutes). At the time of each treatment, we washed linens, boiled hair accessories all over again. The stuffed animals never made it out of quarantine.

But still the lice returned.

After about a month, at wits end, I called my pediatrician’s office. The nurse on call told me I could try the prescription shampoo (did I detect hesitation in her voice or was that me projecting?) or I could try one more “weird” treatment. Since I wasn’t particularly excited about the prospect of using poison so close to my child’s growing brain, I chose the latter. She recommended “Dippity-do.” Yup: The pink or green hair gel popular in the ’50s and ’60s. (It now comes in other colors too.)

But, she warned, I’d have to wrap my daughter’s hair in plastic wrap and a shower cap and leave it on for 12 hours. Similar to other home remedies - like mayonnaise and olive oil - the idea is to smother the lice in a thick coat of glop. The advantage of Dippity-do over the oily foodstuff is that it is much easier to wash out of hair (and doesn’t stink like unrefrigerated mayonnaise).

If this doesn’t work, I’ll be tempted to pull out the big guns: No, not the prescription shampoo but the electric razor – and give my daughter a buzz cut.

Have you or a family member had lice? How did you finally defeat it? Did using harsh chemicals on a small child worry you?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Shahreen Abedin
CNN Medical Senior Producer

Leading up to Mother’s Day this year, I suspected my husband was planning something, but I had no idea it would be by far, one of the biggest parenting challenges I would face to date.

On Tuesday the weekend before, Daddy came home and announced he and I were going on a special night on the town on Friday, complete with fancy dinner, Star Trek movie (I don’t mind admitting I’m a fan), and … an overnight hotel stay in the city, sans the munchkin.

It was to be our first time leaving him alone the entire night, and while I appreciated the thoughtfulness of my hubby’s planning, I was immediately gripped by the anxiety of letting go. We had just gotten the hang of leaving our 18-month old son with a sitter on weekend nights, but never for the whole night. I told my husband that I needed a couple of days to think about it.

The plan was that our nanny, whom we all completely love and trust, would take the little man to her home in the afternoon, and he’d stay there overnight. On paper, it was a great arrangement. She has a dog which I knew he’d love, an amazing park in her neighborhood, and although she’s not family, she loves him to pieces and we had no doubt in our minds that he would be well-cared for and have a fun time.

However, my biggest fear had not yet been addressed: He’s never been to his nanny’s house before, and he was going to wake up in a room where he’s never awoken and wonder if his parents have given him up for good. He’s not really talking yet – just a smattering of words and phrases – so how will they know if he’s anxious or scared out of his mind and just can’t say so?

I knew that sooner or later, this day would come. We would need to let the baby stay elsewhere overnight so we could have some much-needed parental down-time. Focus on our relationship as husband and wife, and put the mommy-daddy show on the backburner. I went to my trusty “What to Expect the Toddler Years” book, and felt better when I read that waiting till he was older would not necessarily guarantee it’d be easier (and in fact could be worse), and that toddlers can only learn to be ok with separation when they experience it firsthand. Cognitively, I knew that it would ultimately be good for him because the time away would be good for me, and that usually it’s the parent who has more of a problem with separation than the child.

I knew all this, and I knew that we had even done all the right things leading up to this point: we started out only leaving him at home for a short while with a sitter, then we’d be gone for longer periods at home, and now we can even take him over to someone else’s house for an evening and he has still been just fine, no meltdowns. Timing-wise, he wasn’t going through any dramatic processes like potty-training or weaning from the bottle, so we were good on that front too.

Armed with all this knowledge, I finally agreed to the arrangement. I was proud of myself for getting to this point mentally and emotionally, and I was finally starting to get really excited about the fun night out with my man, just like old times before this life of sleep deprivation, sticky hands, and crayon on the carpet.

As my son waved happily at me, blowing his sweet little good-bye kisses my way, I did cry, as hard as I tried to hold it. When the door shut, I totally bawled for a good two minutes. These were tears partly from the of fear I felt welling up again inside me, but also tears of sadness from knowing that parenting - although joy-filled for most of the ride - is also a life-long process of grieving over letting go of your child, step by step.

Our toddler ended up having a great time, by the way. And so did we, I’m proud to say. Now we’re preparing to take longer trips away from him. So I’m looking for some advice on what’s helped you get through this whole ‘letting them go overnight’ thing – any tricks that helped ease the process, any traditions that have made the experience fun and relatively painless for you and your child? I need all the help – and reassurance! – I can get.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By David Martin
CNN Medical Senior Producer

Twenty years ago, I went to Mercy Hospital in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., on a January night to cover the arraignment of Larry Cottam for the death of his 14-year-old son, Eric. The boy had starved to death. Arraignments are usually held in courthouses, but Cottam was too weak from malnutrition to leave the hospital. He sat in a wheelchair, an intravenous tube in his arm, his six-foot frame down to 139 pounds as he listened to the charges the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was bringing against him. It was a strange scene.

His wife, Leona, was also charged in her son’s death. But that would come later. That night, doctors were too busy trying to save her life. She and their daughter, Laura, were elsewhere in Mercy Hospital, receiving treatment for severe malnutrition.

Larry Cottam was a former Seventh Day Adventist pastor and truck driver. He had been without work for months but didn’t believe in handouts for his reclusive family. He thought God would intercede on their behalf. The Cottams withered as they waited in vain at their two-story home on a dead end suburban street. Authorities said Eric ate his last meal 42 days before his death. The 5' 10" teenager’s body weighed 69 pounds.

I thought about the Cottams as I was reading a line in a statement to the media from Calvin P. Johnson, attorney for 13-year-old Daniel Hauser’s parents: “It is a violation of Spiritual Law to invade the consciousness of another without their consent.”

In Minnesota, where Danny was living before he and his mother fled, the state has a law requiring parents to provide necessary care to a child. Danny has Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but his parents do not think chemotherapy is the right treatment for the boy, Johnson said. In fact, Danny thinks chemo will kill him, according to the attorney.

At a hearing, Brown County District Judge John R. Rodenberg said the boy's "best interests" require that he receive medical care to combat his Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Chemotherapy has a 90 percent success rate with this cancer. Without chemotherapy, Danny’s doctor testified there’s a 95 percent chance the cancer will kill him.

Danny and his mother fled the state rather than comply with the court. They returned to Minnesota on Monday.

“This is a case of Love vs. Power. Love gives. Power takes,” Johnson wrote in his news release.

In the case of Larry and Leona Cottam, no one argued that couple didn’t love their children, nor did prosecutors question the sincerity of their religious convictions. But a jury convicted Larry and his wife, Leona, of third-degree murder just the same.

Last year, a Wisconsin girl named Madeline Neumann slipped into a coma and died after her parents chose prayer over medical treatment for the diabetic 11-year-old. The state charged her parents, Leilani and Dale Neumann, with reckless homicide. A jury convicted Leilani on Friday. Dale is scheduled to stand trial in July.

No one likes the notion of the state imposing its will over deeply held spiritual beliefs, but are there times when the government should dictate what care a child receives – no matter what the parents say?

Editor’s Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Caleb Hellerman
CNN Medical Senior Producer

Last fall, I started getting worried about my father - just a vague sense something wasn’t right. He’d tell the same story, gripe about the same thing, one too many times. Plus, he’s 82 years old. My mother and brother said he was fine, but then something tipped me over the edge: After more than 50 years running his own small company, my father had decided to sell the business, and I was helping with paperwork. He’d been moaning and groaning about it forever, but when I sat down to put together a few spreadsheets – well, it was easy. I thought: he couldn’t handle this?

Maybe it was a medication. Maybe stress, or a touch of depression – all things that can mimic the early stages of dementia. Or maybe my mom and brother were right. I wasn’t sure where to start, so I called Dr. Thomas Perls, a gerontologist – a specialist in treating older people. I’d interviewed him before, and said I needed a favor. Where should I take my dad? What questions should I ask?

Dr. Perls told me I really ought to take him to a gerontologist, who wouldn’t focus on an aching hip, or a memory problem, or incipient diabetes – but all of it, together. And because I was worried about memory loss, someone who could order a detailed neuropsychological exam. And then I took a big step: I told my dad I was worried about him…. and he said sure, he’d see a new doctor as long as I set it up.

But that was January, and now it’s April. Something always came up. Or maybe I didn’t want to go, myself. But then I noticed that today is something called “Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day.” It’s organized by radio superstar Tom Joyner, to encourage African-Americans to get regular checkups. We’re not African-American – but when I got the flier and saw the headline, how could I ignore what’s going on in my own family?

So today, I’m calling about that appointment. Maybe – I hope – it won’t be any big deal. But it’s my dad, and I owe it to him.

Have any advice about finding the right help for an aging parent?

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Jennifer Pifer-Bixler
CNN Medical Senior Producer

Monday was a fiasco. Let me tell you what happened.

I decided to check in on my buddy Justin Kinninger. Justin is in the second grade. He is a kid after my own heart: We share a love of root beer and barbecue potato chips. Justin also has autism. I've known Justin and his family for a year. We worked together on a story about the challenges of getting medical and educational services for children with autism. From time to time, I check in with Justin's mom, Shannon, to see how things are going. Since the last time we chatted, a new member joined the Kinninger family. His name is Luke. He has a great smile and loves cold hot dogs. Before I continue, I should probably tell you Luke is a black Lab. He's Justin's autism assistance dog. Luke is one of the growing number of dogs that's been trained to work with people with autism. I hit the jackpot, I thought. A boy and his dog. The perfect story. What could go wrong?

I would soon find out.

Our first stop was Justin's classroom. As a producer, I am always trying to get the best “moments” on camera. Luke was waiting and I assumed Justin would be so excited to see him, that he would go right over. Wrong. Justin was excited to see us. "I missed you guys!" Justin said. Instead of heading over to the dog, Justin made a beeline to our photographer, Jonathan, and gave him a big hug. Moment missed. I wasn't deterred, yet.

We eventually ended up at the Kinningers’ home. I wanted to ask Justin some questions with Luke by his side. But this time, it was Luke who refused to give us our “moment.” He thought the boom mic was a toy, (it's furry) and jumped up to try and catch it. He barked. He refused to sit by Justin. His working harness off, in Luke's mind, he was off the clock. I half expected him to go into the kitchen and make a kibble martini. Luke was ready to party. As chaos ensued, I wondered what in the world I was going to do. This shoot had become a disaster.

But then something unexpected happened. Justin's head started to hurt and he got sick. Who was immediately by his side? Luke. Later, as Justin lay on his bed, Luke snuggled as his best friend stroked his coat, calmed down and recovered. It was in that moment, that it was clear why this boy needed his dog. For Justin, like many people with autism, it can be hard to connect with others. Sometimes Justin gets picked on at school. It breaks Shannon's heart. She's often not sure what to do. But Luke knows. He never judges Justin. He's just present.

I had my moment.

Has autism touched you or the life of someone you know? We'd like to hear about it.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By Phil Riley
CNN Senior Writer

Even if you had months of advance notice and could talk to experts and read books, you wouldn't be ready. Each child is a snowflake, unique. There's no blueprint. You fly by the seat of your pants. And you take co-pilots.

Emma and teacher Lynn Tarnow

When I wrote my blog last year about living with Emma, I had no idea how much I would learn and be touched by the postings of people with autism and those who love people with autism. (learn more about autism)  But when I revisit my own writing, I feel fear, solitude and sadness. Life with Emma is much more.

Emma is generally a joyful 12-year-old girl. She loves her family, wanting us together so much she'll continually ask for absent members. Though speech therapy is still a struggle, Emma has made progress on her goals at school. Credit Lynn, her teacher. Emma still has occasional outbursts, but I’m no longer getting calls to bring her home because she's uncontrollable. Besides maintaining a calm classroom, Lynn has expanded Emma’s curriculum beyond school.

Emma’s community-based activities include supervised shopping trips. She gets a list of simple items that her teachers need, along with their money. She goes to a store, makes the purchases, and then returns to school to deliver the items to the teachers along with their change. It’s a blessing to have a creative educator who has experience with special needs kids. But experience is not always necessary.

Kaloni is Emma’s swimming instructor.  He’s worked with a lot of kids, but Emma’s his first one with autism. Like Lynn, he's relaxed, patient and a cheerleader. Add repetition and familiarity, and you've got a winning formula.  Two examples: Monica and Dr. Cathy.  Monica cuts Emma’s hair. It used to be an event full of squirms and tears. Now Emma sits straight in the chair, smock on, no fussing. It used to take two dental technicians and me to hold Emma down so Dr. Cathy could pry open her mouth. Now she jumps up in the chair and opens her mouth wide when asked. A stunning transformation, even if it did take years.

We’re not out of the woods by a long shot. Emma still would rather not speak, which makes it almost impossible to develop social skills. And she'll soon begin menstruation. She won't be able to understand what's happening to her body. The confusion and pain she'll experience has prompted parental debate over using a drug to prevent the cycle. So we'll face challenges for sure.

But as long as we keep going, and have co-pilots along for the ride, we'll get there.

Have you dealt with the challenges of autism?  We'd like to hear your thoughts. 

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.

By John Dear
Senior Media Producer, CNN Media Operations

It's been a year since my family had the opportunity to share a day in our lives with CNN viewers, on the first World Autism Awareness Day.  Jonas, the second oldest of our three boys, has autism, and we wanted to show the struggles that families go through when living with the disorder on a daily basis.  We were concerned last year that our youngest son, who was 13 months old at the time, might be on the autism spectrum as well. Our worst fears were confirmed five months later when Rasmus got a formal diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

Jonas, 3 (left), Magnus, 6, and Rasmus, 2

For one year, we drove Jonas more than four hours a day, five days a week to get applied behavior analysis therapy, which helped him tremendously. This was no longer an option. Last summer, we rented out our house and moved closer to the school that Jonas and now Rasmus attend at Emory University in Atlanta. Moving out of our home was a tough decision, but the advantages of being closer to their school and my work far outweighed any other factors.

We are bombarding our kids with ABA, speech and occupational therapy. We have a lot on our plate and it's a constant struggle to keep up. On top of all that, our oldest son, Magnus, needs just as much attention, which we are mindful of. He has turned out to be his younger brothers’ best teacher, because of their eagerness to impress their big brother.

We are pleased with the results from our early intervention, yet we still have a way to go to get our children mainstreamed. Jonas, who is almost 4 now, is eager to engage and is extremely talkative, although sometimes hard to understand. Rasmus just turned 2 and has benefited tremendously from ABA and speech therapy.

This is without a doubt the hardest thing that my wife and I have ever had to deal with. Not only is the financial reality staggering, the toll that autism has taken on our marriage has been extremely challenging. We've got one nostril above water, but we know in our hearts that we are doing everything we can to give our kids the best chance to live the life they choose.

Has autism touched you somehow? How have you managed the challenges that it can bring? We'd like to know.

Editor's Note: Medical news is a popular but sensitive subject rooted in science. We receive many comments on this blog each day; not all are posted. Our hope is that much will be learned from the sharing of useful information and personal experiences based on the medical and health topics of the blog. We encourage you to focus your comments on those medical and health topics and we appreciate your input. Thank you for your participation.