The Cottage, Inc.

06/04/2026

😔

RIP John West, whose passing was announced on May 31, 2026, following his death from natural causes.

John was an autistic man whose life was transformed after enduring years of neglect under a previous caregiver. When Des learned about his situation, she stepped in, became his legal guardian, and welcomed him into her home.

Through love, stability, and compassionate care, John was finally able to experience the comfort and quality of life he had long deserved. His story touched thousands of people and served as a powerful reminder of the lasting impact kindness, support, and advocacy can have.

Sending heartfelt condolences to Des and to everyone whose lives John touched. May he rest in peace.

(Photo: John West / IG waxesbydes_)

06/01/2026

Sleep in Heavenly Peace, Mr. West.

05/20/2026

05/01/2026

04/29/2026

An autistic meteorologist told he would never succeed is now publishing his own memoir — and the distance between what people predicted for him and what he actually built is the entire story.He could not speak in sentences until he was six years old. His IEP documents began when he was two. People told him he would never live a normal life, never go to college, never become a meteorologist. He proved every single one of them wrong.He covered an EF-3 tornado alone in the weather center. He defended his Master's thesis on tropical cyclones in July 2024. And now, with April being Autism Awareness Month, he is sharing the full story in a memoir he wrote himself.The Weather Inside: A Memoir of Storms, Survival, and Self-Discovery covers everything — growing up with autism in Wilmington, North Carolina, the struggles through school, the losses, the storms he never saw coming, and the ones he learned to forecast. It is also a love story — about finding someone who truly sees all of him. He is getting married later this year.The book is aimed at the autistic child wondering if the world has a place for them. At the parent who just heard the word autism for the first time. At anyone who has ever been told they would not make it.He is aiming to publish on May 8th, 2026.From a little boy who could not speak in sentences, to a meteorologist who covers storms for a living and found the person who sees through all of his.The forecast ahead looks different from what anyone predicted.

04/02/2026

03/06/2026

03/02/2026

02/23/2026

🫶🏽

Forget the express lane. Customers at this grocery store purposely choose the longest wait to check out with Michael Masterangelo, a cashier whose infectious positivity helped him raise more than $31,000 for Special Olympics in six days: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/nation-world/special-olympics-fundraising-georgia-publix-checkout-line/507-15cdd380-0cc4-4b9d-a6d0-cf1e01b2fd55?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_10_Tampa_Bay