Our History: What Made this Website Possible

Like his bio says, Maxwell has been drawing seriously--for six and eight hours at a time--since he was three. He has an intense concentration and an incredible memory. His reads, draws and tells stories on the fly from the time he gets up in the morning until considerably after midnight. But we never mind the constant chit-chat and adventures.

At fourteen months old, complications from his MMR vaccine robbed Maxwell of his ability to speak. Just as he was starting to say words and names, he suddenly couldn't make a sound, wouldn't look anyone in the eye, and didn't seem to care about the world around him. He had to be reminded to eat and convinced to sleep. He seemed to disappear inside himself.

His family refused to stand back and watch him retreat farther and farther into himself--essentially leaving us behind. After the fourth doctor told us to "walk away and get Maxwell into a good special school," we'd had enough. On our way out of the building, Maxwell trashing and screaming he was so uncomfortable in yet another doctor's unknown space, I swore to learn everything I could about this word: autism. I was tired of doctors who offered platitudes and an all-knowing, utterly defeatist attitude.

I stopped sleeping. I own a publishing house. Maxwell's Mama Cris is the Senior Editor. We had a new baby, Maxwell's sister Faith. I did my job during the day and, as soon as Maxwell managed to drift off, I read books, surfed the web, and wrote to allergy, auto-immune and environmental specialists. I found Karyn A. Seroussi book ("Unraveling the Mystery of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorder: A Mother's Story of Research & Recovery") and the original edition of "Special Diets for Special Kids" by Lisa Lewis very helpful. I read message boards and reams of print outs on dozens of kids all over the autism spectrum.

Maxwell has been free of eggs, dairy, seafood, wheat, gluten, nuts, seeds, and chocolate for three years. Maxwell began speaking within a month of us removing these allergens. Two years later, a medical testing showed he was allergic to all of these. Today, Maxwell exhibits none of the destructive symptoms that had him labeled. His intense focus, wonderful and endless creativity, brilliance in mathematics, and sensitivity to the fine details of the world may all very well be other types of symptoms. But they are joyful ones.

And so, this website was made possible by ignorant doctors who drove this family to action. Courageous mothers who came before me and discovered treatments, and one miraculous son, Maxwell Kier DiMarco, who choose the color scheme, wrote the words, drew the pictures, and announced, quite modestly, "Now, Mama, my books will be read all over the world."

My personal thanks to Maxwell's other mama, author and Senior Editor Cris K.A. DiMarco, who entertained Faith while Maxwell and I worked on his website and his books, and to Faith, for being entertained and for being the most inspiring playmate in the world.

Thank you all for visiting Maxwell's website and God bless.

Jennifer DiMarco