Everyone
Richard Duncan was the 2024 AutismBC Raffle grand prize winner. While the prize was a brand-new Nissan Z, he chose to take the cash option to support his wife with a new power wheelchair, a lift, home accessibility upgrades, and extra physio care.
Here’s a glimpse into Richard’s journey, as he tells it himself:
I still remember the moment I found out I had won. I wanted to use the prize to help my wife with the equipment and care she needs. “She needs extra Physio, which is very expensive, and I can take her and the wheelchair taxis once in a while. HandyDART is not always available,” I explained.
I’m a late-discovered autistic. In the early 1990s, after a challenging period in my life, I underwent many assessments and was told I am autistic. “I didn’t know until the early 90s, after I had a very severe mental breakdown. I had many, many tests and was told that I was autistic. I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t on it from way before I went to school and through my life, I hid it from everyone, even my wife, until after the mental breakdown.”
As a child, I remember running back and forth for hours, moving and engaging with the world in ways that were natural to me but often misunderstood by those around me. I faced challenges at home, at school, and within my extended family, where people didn’t fully understand me. One incident at school left me feeling scrutinized, and afterward, I chose to spend time at the back of the classroom, continuing to move and engage in ways that felt right for me.
Even into adulthood, I managed my autistic traits privately. When I finally shared my experiences with my wife in my early 40s, I felt supported and understood. “My wife just thought I needed some help and was so supportive, like always, as well as my kids and all their friends. I certainly didn’t think it would be like that if I told anyone what I did. Now I don’t hide being autistic, although with my blindness, it makes it hard to run, which I did for 15 years; I ran about 10 K every day except Sundays.”
Richard purchased raffle tickets as a way of giving back. “The small lotteries, the 50-50 ones especially, are really cheap, so you can enter them for $10 and just maybe you would win something. I never really expected I’d get a call like I did from you that day.”
At AutismBC, Richard’s story reminds us of the circle of giving and receiving. By supporting the autism community, he received support in return, which helped him care for his wife and improve their daily life.
To autistic youth and adults, Richard shares this advice: “Don’t hide it from anyone, especially the people close to you, and get help and certainly have patience cause it doesn’t turn around fast and it takes a long, long time to understand that you’re not crazy, that you just have a different way of looking at the world and handling the stress that is everywhere.”
Richard’s story is one of generosity, resilience, and community connection. At AutismBC, we are honoured to share in his journey and continue finding ways to give back to those who support our community.
Join Richard in supporting the autism community by purchasing your raffle tickets today at www.autismbc.ca/raffle.
