Autism Society of Northern Virginia: De la Cruz Family Finds Hope through Connection
Kolette De la Cruz tells in her own words how the Autism Society of Northern Virginia helped her family find a ray of hope through connecting with a supportive community.
"I became a member of the Walk shortly after my son was diagnosed with autism. I have two lovely children, Logan (3) and Grace (19 months). My son, Logan was diagnosed with regressive autism at 21 months of age (meaning that he had normal development and then lost all language, communication and social skills). We as a family were devastated. We had just given birth to our daughter when we noticed our son had somehow slipped away from us."
Over several years, I learned how bad an idea it is to lean upon your own understanding. Through my behavior and choices, I drove away almost all my friends and family, and, unemployed, I just gave up completely on life.
Success stories at CFNC abound. We'd like to share with you Nancy and Alfredo's story. Currently, the couple's twins are enrolled in CFNC's preschool and in 2009 one of their older daughters was enrolled. It has been a joy to watch their progress.
Walter joined Back on My Feet in spring 2010 as a resident of La Casa Transitional Rehabilitation Program for homeless adults in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. After leaving an unhealthy relationship, Walter decided to get help in fighting his addictions.
Tricia and her husband emigrated from Eritrea in 2005. Within a few months of arriving in the United States, Tricia became pregnant. Tricia knew her life would be full of changes, however, she never expected her loving relationship with her husband to turn abusive.
Tyrone was warned about one of his students, Tasha, before he even met her. Tyrone tried to talk with Tasha and explain to her that he cared about her and wanted her to succeed. But his words seemed to go in one ear and out the other.
Perry's story of hope and recovery begins on the streets of Washington, DC. Suffering from addiction, Perry had lost hope that his life could change. One night, Perry's family sought him out, surrounded him and prayed for him. That moment changed his life.
After Pam was confronted with family and personal health challenges, Food & Friends stepped in to help her keep her refrigerator stocked, and treated her with the dignity she needed to press on.
We received this letter from a local Cub Scout as a thank you for sending him to our Webelos camp at Goshen Scout Reservation in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Goshen, Va.
Ron Hinds was born in Suriname and is fluent in several languages. When he was 11 years old, his family immigrated to America and settled in Brooklyn, NY. In his Brownsville neighborhood, violence claimed many of his friends.
I will never forget how fortunate my two children and I were after we moved out of a difficult family situation in 1998. However, only two years later our future was suddenly bleak.
I consider myself to be very lucky that four years ago NAMI MC had a job opening. From the moment I walked in for my interview I knew that I would love working for NAMI. And I have.
"There is a magical relationship between a horse and rider," says Ben’s mom. "Our son was born with cerebral palsy. We were stunned at the diagnosis. By the age of 5 he was using a canes but his muscle tone was a major barrier to his normal development. Then he began participating in classes at Loudoun Therapeutic Riding."
What is a parent leader? Who is a parent leader? Not someone who is a good parent, although she is. Not someone who is a good friend, although she is.
In 1996, Mrs. Geraldine Johnson was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. For years she struggled to manage the disease and in 2009 decided that she was going to take action to help her get it under control.
It was Memorial Day. My wife joined me that day to serve on the van I was driving. It was the end of the month, so there was a huge crowd. At the second stop, the line was very long. I was serving sandwiches and desserts from the side of the van.
I felt so alone. I got so depressed that I tried to kill myself. I was in the hospital for a couple of weeks. When I was discharged, I got sent to an emergency shelter. Then, a case manager told me about N Street Village.