Adriana, Nevada

A Journey I Never Expected to Walk Alone

I never imagined I would spend so much of motherhood fighting. Fighting for evaluations, fighting for therapy, fighting to be taken seriously when I said, “My child needs help.”

I am a mom of three, but some days it has felt like I am also a case manager, an advocate, a teacher, and a therapist all rolled into one.

My kids are my whole world, and because of them, I have learned to speak up in rooms I never expected to be in. I volunteer with the Children’s Cabinet and First 5 Nevada, and this year I stood in the state legislature during Children’s Week. I never planned to become an advocate, but stepped into this role because my children needed someone to fight for them.

“When children cannot speak for themselves, parents become their voice and I refuse to let my voice go quiet.”

Adriana

1 in 3 infants and toddlers who received early intervention services did not later require special education in preschool.

The Difference Early Support Makes

My oldest did not get the early support he needed. He struggled in daycare, missed out on crucial therapies, and now at age ten he reads at a second grade level. Watching him try so hard and still feel behind has been one of the hardest parts of motherhood.

Then came my younger two, Daniel and Sophia, who were able to receive early intervention. Sophia was born during the pandemic and started out behind, but with early help she began to catch up. Daniel is being evaluated now, and I feel relieved knowing he will not have to wait as long as his brother did to get answers.

The contrast between their experiences is something I carry every day. When babies get support early, everything changes. Their confidence, their social skills, their ability to thrive. I have lived that difference in my own home.

“It should not take a miracle or a crisis for a child to get basic support. ”

Adriana

When Families Fall Through the Cracks

Even when things were finally going well, one change flipped everything upside down. After my husband and I got better jobs, we lost Medicaid. Along with it, we lost access to the therapies our kids depended on. Suddenly we were right back on waiting lists, trying to rebuild what we had worked so hard for. Families like mine are often told to work hard and do better, but when we do, the very systems meant to help us disappear.

I am still pushing, still advocating, and still showing up to every meeting, evaluation, and school conversation. I want better training for teachers, more understanding in classrooms, and a community that sees families as partners, not as problems.

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