My son, Nicolas Ryan Londoño, an autism patient in otherwise good health, died unexpectedly shortly after his 27th birthday last June. We were mountain biking together when he suddenly fell ill and passed away shortly thereafter. The cause of his death is a mystery to this day.
Nicolas, or “Nico” as we called him, left a huge void of warmth for all of his family. But he also left us with tremendous lessons on a life well lived, full of love, determination, and character. Nico loved everybody that he met, and everybody loved him, too. We shared a special bond: as his father, to him, I was Superman. In his continued battle, he never left autism rule his life. He achieved many things: ran a 10k, conquered the mountains hiking and biking, and participated in the Special Olympics (swimming, gymnastics, and soccer were his favorite).
Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects communication and behavior for roughly 1 in 68 children in the United States alone. The number of cases has been on the rise since the 1970s, when only 1 in 2,000 children were diagnosed with the disorder. While a major factor in this significant uptick is increased awareness, the underlying causes of ASD as well as the scope of current treatments are still not fully understood by the medical community.
With increased awareness comes an increased urgency to research and expand current ASD therapies. Clinical investigations like the ones underway at UCLA are vital to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for treating ASD. The National Institute of Health (NIH) reports that less than 5% of their research funding for childhood diseases goes toward ASD. Private philanthropy is crucial to expanding innovative research and improving the lives of those affected by this disorder.
In honor of Nico and other Autism patients just like him, we have created Nico's Ride, an event that unites families and friends in sports and activities that are carried on simultaneously, independent of location, where individuals set their own goals and record their achievements. We have already completed 3 such Nico's Ride events. Details of an upcoming Nico's Ride event will be available on this page soon. Participants can make a donation to benefit Autism research. My Nico always had a strong spirit. When he was born prematurely at UCLA, I called him "my little fighter" because he fought so hard to begin his life - and he never quit. Please consider joining the fight and supporting Autism research at UCLA. Every gift, big or small, adds up to make a meaningful impact on the future of ASD diagnosis and treatment. We want to continue on with Nico's legacy. Thank you so much for your kind collaboration. For questions regarding your donation, please contact Katie Brown at 310-267-1845 or KLBrown@mednet.ucla.edu. If you are interested in supporting Autism Spectrum Disorder research at UCLA and cannot attend this event, please contribute using the fields below.