Project hopes to raise funds for autism therapy

Hope McPheeters smiles as she hugs her daughter, Ella. Ella, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2, was on the waiting list for her specific therapy for more than a year. Submitted photo

SIKESTON -- When Sam and Hope McPheeters' daughter Ella was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2, she was on the waiting list for her specific therapy for more than a year.

"It was the longest year of our lives," said Hope McPheeters.

And that's why she and her husband, who live in Columbia, are working to receive funding to help reduce that waiting time for children like Ella, now 5, with the developmental disorder. Their efforts will benefit not only at the Thompson Center, where Ella received her treatment, but also the Kenny Rogers Children's Center in Sikeston and other treatment centers around the state.

Sam McPheeters is a 1993 Sikeston Senior High School graduate. He is the son of Steve and Patti McPheeters, who live in Sikeston.

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