It was Loyda’s birthday on the 25th December. Because her mother, doña Yolanda, was away that day, she had asked whether we could celebrate Loyda’s birthday on another day. And so we did, as Loyda does not show any awareness of her day of birth.
Due to the circumstances of her life doña Yolanda has not been able to give two of her five children, (the other three do not have an intellectual disability), what they needed in life. But from the moment she heard about our Foundation she cooperated in order to provide a better future for Daniel and Loyda. Only in her first two visits to our Home had she shown some reserve, as she was struggling to fully understand what the Ruach Home was all about.
We’ve also come across mothers who deny any problem or wrong-doing in spite of neighbours saying that an intellectually disabled child is not well looked after. If that’s the case, there is very little we can do.
Collaboration
Doña Yolanda has been cooperative from the beginning. She visits her children at least twice a month, often with her daughter with whom she resides. At the end of the month she always brings her voluntary in-kind contribution to the costs of the home: oil, beans, rice, oats, cheese, and diapers that Loyda and Daniel wear at night, and so on. She’s also happy to accompany Daniel or Loyda if either of them needs to go to the hospital for a check up or something else. That saves us a lot of time, since it’s incredible how much time gets wasted here in hospital waiting rooms. It is also practical, because doña Yolanda still has the legal responsibility for her children and can give her consent on medical issues to the doctor, as last year when she agreed to Daniel having his hernia operation.
Doña Yolanda and her daughter feel at home and appreciated at Ruach, and are happy to see the progress Daniel and Loyda are making. And of course they want to be present when their birthdays are celebrated. This family photograph is proof!