Our Story.

Mother of Daniel (28), Mia (23), and Michael, 19, who was diagnosed on the autism spectrum at the age of one, with high support needs.

As a family receiving “the news”, we were confused and helpless — where do you even start? There was no one to ask and no one to talk to; from every body we turned to we got one answer, sometimes two, and we were the ones who had to assemble the whole puzzle. We didn’t know what we were entitled to, what to demand, or how to demand it. What do you do? Who do you turn to? Where do you begin? So many questions — and no answers.

Over the 17 years of expertise I built, as the mother of a special child, I slowly began to ask, to check, to research, to dig deeper, to turn over every stone and take nothing for granted. I discovered that the inquiry is endless. More than once I had to think outside the box and reinvent myself. It was clear to me that this was a long-distance run — sometimes fast, sometimes a slow walk. I learned to “conquer” small territories and to plan ahead in short ranges.

From the moment we got the news that Michael was on the autism spectrum with high support needs, we set out together, as a family, on a determined and uncompromising journey to give Michael — and ourselves — the best and most fitting life he could have, despite his enormous challenges. From then until today, for more than 17 years, I have devoted my life to the world of special populations, out of full knowledge of, and belief in, our children.