PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A former Seahawks star and his wife are facing a concern other parents of adult children with disabilities share: what happens when the parents are gone?
Curt and Ana Warner wrote a book a few years ago called “The Warner Boys” to share the story of their twins, Christian and Austin, who both have autism.
“It took us a while to start talking about it because we were in the struggle for days and a day seems like a year — seemed like a long time we were dealing with multiple issues,” said Curt.
The twins banged their heads on the floor and punched holes in the wall. One of the boys burned down the family’s home in Camas.
The former Seattle Seahawks running back withdrew from the public eye to concentrate on his family, which includes two other children.
“We didn’t want to wait for something to happen to us, for the state to take over and put them in group home and didn’t want to leave our oldest and youngest with the financial burden of taking care of them,” said Ana.
The Warners heard about Sunridge Ranch in Ellensburg, Washington, which has homes with four adults each. The nearby Trellis Center provides jobs and social opportunities.
“We met the guys in the first house and they were going out bowling and they were going to movies and a lot of the students from Central University are part of the Trellis Center so these guys have a life,” said Ana.
The Warners decided they wanted to follow the Sunridge Ranch model. A friend donated a fixer-upper Ellensburg home where the Warners hope their boys will live with two other adults, as well as a house parent. But Curt, who played before multi-million-dollar contracts were common in the NFL, says it’s humbling to ask for help.
“We love them dearly and we want what’s best for them so we’re going to continue to move forward on this,” he said.
GoFundMe for Warner twins‘ home
