I didn't have Katie's wisdom when I was growing up. I loved Caley for who she was, yes, but I didn't realize that the idea of loving Caley for who she is and curing her of autism were fundamentally incompatible...that a "cured" Caley would no longer have the characteristics that made her Caley.
I remember talking to my mom when I was younger, saying out loud that it was such a pity that Caley was autistic - after all, she was already really smart, and she'd be even smarter if she wasn't autistic, right? I viewed autism as something that exclusively kept Caley down instead of something that made Caley who she is, the good, the bad, and the in between. It took me a very long time to realize the truth of the matter, and I wish I had figured it out as soon as Katie did.
I love you, Caley. I will always support you as you grow and learn, just as all of us do, but I will also never try to make you be someone you're not.
-Creigh