Crawford County Community Rallies to Support Teen With Autism

Rebecca Fleming, or Becca for short was diagnosed with autism before she was one, and now at 14-years-old the Crawford County community is rallying together to help her get a surgery that will help improve her life.

As she got older, Becca, who is mostly non-verbal, also started having seizures. Her dad, Kevin Fleming said it stole what little vocabulary she once had.

“It’s just it’s so disheartening seeing how she’s gone from, you know, halfway full vocabulary down to she doesn’t talk and she sleeps all the time or she used to be quite active. So I’m looking forward to this treatment,” he says.

Becca will have surgery in about two weeks to implant a device called an RNS device, it’s like a pacemaker for the brain.

Her mom, Wendy Stewart, said the device will reduce her seizures and improve her quality of life.

“She went from a very active hyper child to sleeping half the day away. And her words she used to say, I love you. She used to say things right on time. So, if any of that can come back, I would be ecstatic,” said Wendy.

Getting there is expensive for the family but thanks to an outpouring of donations to Becca’s go fund me, Wendy said they can focus on her.

“It’s essentially helping save her life because without this surgery, the seizures could kill her. And so just getting the help and knowing that we don’t have to worry about so many things now has been huge,” said Wendy.

In addition to the donations, her stepdad, Craig Stewart, said that the owner of Hawk Hill Farm Performance Horses & Equine Center in Grayling has reached out to the family hoping to do a fundraiser for Becca after she recovers.

“She would like to do a fundraiser at the ranch with her horse community. She works with a lot of kids with disabilities with horses because there’s some healing thing with horses. She’s also offered for us to bring Rebecca out there and she’ll do some one on one with her daughter,” said Craig.

The family said they’re also talking to the Make A Wish Foundation next week for a future a room makeover for Becca after her surgery.

But more than the extras, what this family wants most for Becca is to be like everyone else.

“Last year she never got outside and played or anything at all. For her to be able to do that is monumental. And just for her to have some sort of normalcy is going to be amazing,” said Craig.

For more information about Becca, you can read more about her here. For more information about Becca’s Go Fund Me click here.

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