“We must recognize that the suffering of one person or one nation is the suffering of humanity. That the happiness of one person or nation is the happiness of humanity.” - Dalai Lama

It has taken me eight years to put my pen to paper and tell our story, in hopes of helping families find the best education, resources and financial help for their child who has a disability. Fighting for Taylor presents the autobiographical story of a single mother struggling against the odds to support her child through social, economic, and educational challenges.

The whispering among the nurses in the operating room when my son Taylor was born signaled that something about my baby was cause for concern. My life quickly shifted to a world in which I must continuously fight to provide the best possible life for my child, who was born with Down syndrome and later diagnosed with Autism. To make matters more difficult, my relationship with my husband was rapidly deteriorating, as his drinking and domestic violence escalated - factors that lead to the end of our marriage.

As the years passed, I gathered strength from my beautiful little boy. As I traversed the various social, economic and beautiful obstacles, I had many thought-provoking ideas that can help other parents find the emotional, financial and spiritual support their children need. What I discovered is a system designed to work against the best interest of children with special needs in today’s schools. I fight for inclusion of all children in the educational system, regardless of their abilities or inabilities.