Soon after Evan's diagnosis, Jenny says the stress of raising a child with autism began to take a toll on her marriage. An autism advocacy organization reports that the divorce rate within the autism community is staggering. According to its research, 80 percent of all marriages end.
"I believe it, because I lived it," she says. "I felt very alone in my marriage."
Jenny says her husband dealt with his pain by staying away, even when Evan was in the hospital. "He never sat down and said, 'What did you find out on Google?'" she says. "There was never that connection of wanting to know and being there."
When Jenny's marriage ended, she says she felt sad...and scared. "After the divorce, even though it felt good and the right thing to do, I felt, as I'm sure many mothers with children who have autism feel, 'Who in the heck is going to love me with my child who has autism?'" she says. "I don't care how big your boobs are or blonde your hair is—you're going to feel that way."
Jenny says she began to pray every day that she'd find a man with a big enough heart to love her and Evan. "We come as a pair," she says. "I kept that hope, that vision of a man coming into my life that would love us both equally."
