Life is less ordinary for Adrienne, a wife and mother of three, who recently posted a heart-felt testimonial on our P&G Facebook page. We caught up with her to hear more of her family’s story first-hand, and got her permission to share it with you here. 

“No one gave us a parenting course for kids with special needs,” she says. “The standard template for family and household care went straight out the window.”

Adrienne’s busy home is brimming with life — not the least of which being her beloved 11-year-old son, Marco who has Autism Spectrum Disorder, the oldest of their three children. (Adrienne and Marco are shown in the photo at right.)

Adrienne, who works full-time as an autism educator at a local children’s hospital, glows with enthusiasm when she talks about him. “Marco is so warm, so caring. He’s the love of our lives. He enriches us,” she says.

But raising a boy like Marco brings big everyday challenges and messes that can be quite common for families of kids with special needs. Along with his autism, Marco has other physical and cognitive challenges that prevent him from being able to take care of himself. This makes household cleaning more than an occasional activity; it’s a constant necessity. 

Not long ago, after a particularly challenging day, Adrienne took a look around her home and realized how many P&G brands had become such a part of her life, helping her and her husband meet so many of their everyday challenges with Marco. So she sat down and wrote us, to let us know just how she felt:

“I must thank you for doing exactly what your slogan claims... ‘Touching lives, improving life.’ Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, Bounty, Swiffer, Febreze, Tide – the list goes on.  And that's just the cleaning products.  You have touched our lives in many ways; you've improved our lives in even more ways. Thank you!”

Their family is also no stranger to tough economic times, and the tighter budgets that result. For them, the trusted reliability of P&G brands is the deciding factor when they’re making purchase decisions.

“Even though this economy is difficult, I still need products I know I can rely on. Like when I throw one of Marco’s soiled blankets into the washer in the middle of the night, I can go back to bed knowing that it will be clean in the morning. I know I can trust Tide to work while I sleep. It’s that simple. It’s that important.”

For us, improving Adrienne’s everyday life is the culmination of 175 years of P&G innovation. And hearing heroic stories like hers inspires us to innovate in more ways that touch and improve more lives like hers—and Marco’s—for generations to come.

Thank you, Adrienne, for sharing your story. You’ve inspired us more than you know.

Share Your Story

How has P&G touched and improved your life lately? We’d love to hear your story! Post it on our Facebook wall.