Rubies and Pearls

Caring for an autistic child is a fulltime commitment – every hour of every day is dictated by the needs of a child who at once is the huge blessing only a child can be, but equally is an albatross dragging you down into the murk of a harsh day-to-day existence. With the added pressures of tight finances, ongoing health issues and a noticeable lack of support from those agencies that are charged with helping in just these situations, you have a tinderbox of emotions with no easy outlet.

Such is Donella’s life with daughter Ruby. Between the covers of this powerful and confronting diary lie five years of what to most would be Hell on Earth. Told from a personal perspective from a diary written at the time, the story unfolds as Ruby grows from a child to a young and very strong adult without the usual constraints of morality and what we might call decency.

Donella documents here her day to day struggle for existence and fairness from government agencies seeming bent on finding that crack in which those like Ruby might be conveniently dropped.

This book expresses her feelings in words some might find crude and offensive, but such are the emotions and feelings that arise from such conflicting pressures. Join her in her tale of pain, hilarity and at times at least, the sheer joy of being alive with a child you have no reason to love, but do anyway.