KD Edwards; YA Novelist and Caregiver

"My nephew is the sweetest, kindest, most awesome kid, but his world is very insular. He’s never been comfortable leaving the confines of his room, let alone the house — to the point where he’ll develop hives when he needed to run errands. I brainstormed many solutions that panicked him, like traditional therapy, community college courses, or a high-level diagnostic program at UNC-Chapel Hill. And then I met Jad — who plays Overwatch like my nephew, is young, friendly, open-minded, and extremely patient and accepting. They hit off. There were no hives, and by their second week of sessions they were making plans to walk downtown and explore Carrboro, which was a new city for my nephew. My nephew wants to continue these sessions, and slowly we’ve been building his curriculum from “life skills” like cleaning and doing the dishes, to walking around in the community, and eventually they’ll come up with an education or certification plan for my nephew’s future. I cannot speak more highly about Jad — he is a freaking godsend. He and his sister, Marguerite, have a winning and affordable idea here. This sort of service is desperately needed."