Life with my autistic sons: How do you explain all the worries, the sleepless nights?'

"Six months ago, this fortysomething father was leading the kind of life that might have caused plenty of people to break into small emotional pieces. In his Essex home town, he had long since moved back in with his elderly father, who had Parkinson's and needed round-the-clock care from his son. His mum, who has dementia, was living in a nearby residential home. Meanwhile, the story that comes closest to defining him was continuing as he looked after his teenage autistic and learning-disabled sons, Jude and Tommy."

"There've been a few periods like that, he tells me. Sometimes I look back and think, How did we do it?', for so long and without extra support? For a moment, his eyes look as if they're filling up. I don't really know how we coped."

"His dad died back in October, and he says his sadness was mixed with a strong feeling of guilt: You feel awful for feeling a bit lighter. Meanwhile, he was starting to ready Jude who's now 17 for leaving full-time education and entering the adult social care system, which entails endless meetings, phone calls and form filling."

James Hunt, a forty-something father from Essex, navigates extraordinary caregiving responsibilities while maintaining a significant online presence. He cares for his elderly father with Parkinson's disease, his mother with dementia in residential care, and his teenage autistic and learning-disabled sons, Jude and Tommy. The constant demands of caregiving, including severe sleep deprivation, have defined his daily life for years. Following his father's death in October, Hunt experienced mixed emotions of grief and relief. He simultaneously manages the transition of his son Jude into the adult social care system, involving extensive administrative work. Throughout these challenges, Hunt documents his family's experiences through a blog on Substack and social media accounts with nearly 400,000 followers each, titled Stories About Autism, sharing both emotional struggles and moments of joy.

Read at www.theguardian.com