The Canadian National Autism Foundation

This is about a young lady named Suzie who is diagnosed with autism.

Its truly amazing.

Please take a listen

Hi, my name is Susie Marie Strowbridge and this is my story.

I spent the first 16 years of my life not knowing why I felt so different from

others. Why things that were

easy for some, were so difficult for me. Or why we thought of things

differently. It wasn’t until June 2024 when I told my mom I thought

something was different about me that we learned about my diagnosis.

In September of 2024 I was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder

(ASD). Many wouldn’t

have thought, including my own mother because I’ve spent so much of

my life learning tointernalize the way I felt,

however, that can be extremely exhausting.

Now, I’m not telling you all of this looking for pity, but to promote

awareness for people like me. Autism can present in a wide

spectrum of ways from person to person and it’s

not at all linear. No single person with Autism is exactly alike to another.

While I do struggle, I am fortunate enough to be able to articulate

my emotions and express the way I feel. When I decided I wanted to

start this journey of sharing my story

to spread awareness I figured rather than tell you about it, the

best way to explain is by

showing you, so, below I’ve attached a video of a monologue

I wrote and just recently performed at the

where I won the talented teen award.

I’m so grateful for the support from my friends and family in

helping me learn that my

diagnosis is more of a blessing than anything else. It’s what

makes me who I am as a person and I wouldn’t trade it for any

other lifetime.

The reason I’m sharing this is the hope that we can develop

ourselves as humans into ones

that don’t judge based on appearance, form opinions on actions, or

think that someone’s life is easier because you don’t see externally

what they’re going through. We are so fortunate

to live in a world where everyone is different, so please, just be kind.