CFCNCA - Inspiring Stories

One Family's Journey with Autism

tina.johnson — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:11:53 -0500

Rory, right, with her sister and parents, Nora and Robert. — Rafferty Weiss

At 18 months old, Rory was detached. Her communication was impaired. She didn’t speak even the simple words or sentences typical of a toddler her age.

Her parents, Nora and Robert, began the long, arduous process of diagnosis; taking Rory to her pediatrician, specialists and therapists. Their experience was fraught with disappointment, frustration and a sense of helplessness because they were still unable to identify the issues plaguing their youngest daughter.

“I knew in my heart there was something wrong. I didn’t want to let Rory down, so we had to find help,” Nora said. Limited resources and insufficient health care coverage for behavioral testing led Nora and Robert to seek help from a county program.

More than a year later, Rory was finally evaluated for autism and placed in Applied Behavioral Analysis , a scientific-based program for increasing useful behaviors and reducing harmful ones that interfere with learning and development.

Rory’s adamant refusal to participate in the program caused further struggle. Additional health issues impeded Rory’s progress, and Nora and Robert reached out to a local CFCNCA-supported charity seeking assistance. They found additional resources and answers to their questions, and a support network of families also struggling with autism.

Today at age six, Rory continues to make progress and is a role model for other children on the autism spectrum. Rory’s mother actively volunteers with the charity that brought life to her daughter, organizing walks and critical fundraisers.

“I feel it is my calling. I can help Rory and others. We are able to surround Rory and our family with this incredible network of kids and families struggling with autism, find the help we need, and stop grasping at straws.”

EPA Employee Receives Help From CFCNCA Charities

cassie.grose — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:54:56 -0500

Pascale performing Dancing In The Streets at the EPA CFCNCA Kickoff October, 6, 2011.

Pascale Jacques, Environmental Protection Agency, was unaware of a potentially serious health concern that occurred in her body six years ago. She suffered from chronic fatigue, began having difficulty remembering things and found herself in a mental fog more often. She worked for a well-known large investment bank in New York City and contributed her symptoms to working in a high energy and fast paced environment. Eventually, she resigned.

Over time her symptoms became more pronounced with numbness beginning to appear in her right hand. In 2005, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Pascale rallied despite the news. She received referrals to two CFCNCA organizations who assisted her with counseling, provided help with medical bills and helped prepare her to return to work through vocational rehabilitation. With the help of both these CFCNCA organizations Pascale’s health improved. In addition, one of the organizations provided assistance to Pascale during her hiring process at the Environmental Protection Agency. She currently works in the Office of International and Tribal Affairs.

Pascale is also a full-time college student with the University of Phoenix, and will graduate with her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Communications in December, 2012. Pascale is an active volunteer and advocate for the organizations that helped her in her time of need.

EPA Mom Pays It Forward

cassie.grose — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:57:47 -0600

At 16 months old Wanda McLendon’s son, Ryan, suffered a stroke. Diagnosed with hemophilia, his chances of surviving the surgery to relieve the pressure of a blood clot on his brain were slim. Fortunately the procedure worked. Ryan and his mother, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employee, are grateful to the medical professionals and the CFCNCA-supported organization who performed the surgery and provided support.

Diagnosed with hemophilia at birth, a rare bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot normally, he received hepatitis vaccinations as an infant along with the usual inoculations. This aids in receiving Factor 9, a clotting agent. Ryan’s normal childhood bumps, scrapes and bruises necessitated a trip to an emergency room to save his life.

Wanda credits one of the CFCNCA-supported organizations that focuses on hemophilia with providing education and tools to assist her in caring for her son. Through the organization, Wanda has access to classes, support groups and medical authorities with the skills and knowledge to treat hemophilia.

Today Ryan a healthy young man who works full time, pursues his passion as a singer songwriter and plays the piano for the Ryan Vincent Ford Group.

Wanda volunteers as a CFCNCA Keyworker in EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response and is a key fundraising planner; she is the originator of an annual CFCNCA fundraising event – Soup’s On, which is just part of what she does to give back in gratitude for the support she and her son Ryan receive.

After Sudden Disaster, Son of Federal Worker Receives Full Care

cassie.grose — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:15:44 -0500

Five years ago, Lois Wellman, Department of Interior, and family suffered a terrible disaster when their house exploded due to a propane gas leak. At the time of the explosion, Lois’ thirteen-year-old son, Jordan, was inside the house and was hit directly by the blast. Because of the explosion and the fire that quickly engulfed their home, Jordan suffered severe burns over fifty eight percent of his body. In most cases, people with over fifty percent body burns seldom survive.

Jordan remained in the hospital for fifty-one days. He endured intense physical therapy, participated in a school reentry program so that he would not fall behind in his education and underwent many surgical procedures to minimize his scarring.

A CFCNCA-charity supported organization enabled Lois to reside in the hospital with her son throughout his stay to better care for him, and received trauma counseling through the hospital. Additionally, funding aided the skin graft medical research that reduced much of Jordan’s scarring. Thanks to an innovative medical procedure, Jordan’s face now shows little to no evidence of his ordeal. The hospital continues to support Jordan’s recovery, and will continue to do so until his twenty-first birthday.

Jordan enrolled as a freshman at Ohio State this fall. Thanks to the aid of the CFCNCA-funded hospital, Jordan experienced a remarkable recovery. Despite just beginning her career as a Federal worker, Lois did not pay for any of her son’s treatment.

This year marks Lois’ third straight year as a Keyworker for the campaign. When speaking to her fellow Federal employees at campaign gatherings, Lois always advises people to look around them, because somewhere in the audience there is somebody whose life, or whose child’s life, their support may well help to save.

Julia Taylor Receives a Heart Transplant

cassie.grose — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:19:23 -0500

Federal employee Michael Taylor and his wife had always donated to CFCNCA-supported charities, even before they had their first child. Today Michael and his wife have been married for 19 years and have 3 children. In January of 2008 Michael’s middle child Julia was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Julia was hospitalized at a hospital receiving funds from the CFCNCA in Washington D.C., where here cardiologist foresaw the need for a heart transplant.

Julia underwent a heart transplant on March 1, 2009, and by that fall she was able to return to school and is once again a happy, healthy, and active child. When asked about her future, Julia says she is considering a career as a pediatric nurse.

Julia and her family received much of their support through a CFCNCA-supported charity that funds hospitals as well as breakthrough pediatric research. Julia’s parents also received help with attaining lodging near Julia’s hospital from a CFCNCA-supported organization so that they were able to remain close to their daughter during her treatment.

Today Michael continues to give annually and generously to the campaign whose charities helped save the life of his daughter.

Tiffany Lewis Gives and Receives Support from Fellow Federal Employees

keise.donovan — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:03:09 -0500

Coordinating the combined federal campaign was the very first assignment Tiffany Lewis received when she started working for the Department of Veteran Affairs back in 2007. She was in the middle of her 3rd year working for the campaign when she suffered a stroke on June 4, 2010 and suffered temporary paralysis on her right side. Tiffany had to sit out the rest of the campaign that year as she relearned how to sit stand, write, eat, and walk through physical and occupational therapy. It was then that Tiffany began to receive much-needed support from many of CFCNCA's charitable organizations that she had worked so diligently for in prior years. Employee leave donations gave her the time and strength she needed to make a healthy recovery. She received a wheelchair, walker, leg brace and many other items she now required in her home. Thanks to the incredible support of her fellow federal employees, Tiffany is back at work on the CFC this year, feeling better than ever, and ready to devote her time, energy, and passion towards a successful 2011 campaign.

Rey Picón-Colón Realizes His Career Dream

ann.canela — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:04:16 -0500

Rey Picón-Colón applied for Federal jobs and internships, but only received rejection notices. He was a student at the University of Puerto Rico working on his Masters degree in Public Administration and Human Resources Management, and he knew he could be an asset. But how could he move up in the candidate list?

Determined to secure employment with the Federal government, Rey kept working toward that goal. When he discovered a CFCNCA-supported organization that helped place high achieving Hispanic students in Federal jobs and internships, his goal moved into reach.

The charity reviewed his resume and application materials and showed him how to repurpose them to meet Federal employment guidelines. The staff also helped Rey develop and grow, both personally and professionally. He soon secured an internship with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"Working with the CFCNCA-supported charity was an outstanding experience," Rey recalls. "They did so much more than help me to get the internship; they taught me networking skills, interviewing techniques and social nuances that helped me to bridge the cultural divide between Puerto Rico and the United States." The charity also covered his travel and housing expenses.

The following summer, Rey applied for and accepted an internship with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). He developed an extensive network of colleagues and business contacts through his internships and graduated with honors from his master's program. All of this experience made Rey a highly desirable candidate, and he was hired by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), rated #1 for large agencies in the 2009 Best Places to Work in the Federal Government rankings.

"Every year I give one percent of my salary to the charity that helped me to get to where I am today," Rey reports. "CFCNCA and its charities make a world of difference in peoples' lives."

Diane Bernier Finds Unexpected Freedom at a Charity Fair

ann.canela — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:13:19 -0500

Diane Bernier has been hearing impaired since she was seven. She works as a web content master for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) where she attended a CFCNCA charity fair that changed her life. One of the CFCNCA-supported organizations at the fair provides dogs to people who are physically challenged, deaf or hard-of-hearing. "I would have never known that this resource was available if I had o't attended the event," Ms. Bernier says.

She immediately applied for assistance and was able to receive PePe, an Australian Shepherd and her first hearing dog, through the program. "I feel more independent," she says. "I even travel by myself. The dog alerts me to everything I need to know."

One day when returning from the store, Diane accidentally dropped her credit card. She had not heard the card drop and had no idea that her credit card was on the ground. Pepe stopped and stood next to the card to alert Diane. She gave Pepe the command to fetch. He picked up the card and held it until she gave him the command to "give."

"Who knows what would have happened if that credit card had been lost?" Diane reflects. "It would probably have been lost for good and someone could have used it to buy any number of items, or my identity could have been stolen."

The cost of hearing dogs can be prohibitive for many. The dogs are valued at $15,000 to $20,000 each. Through the CFCNCA-supported organization, Diane was able to obtain Pepe for only $200, including all veterinary bills and multiple years of training.

Pepe has since retired and Moxie, a mixed breed female, took his place in September. Moxie has already become an integral part of the Bernier family.

Colonel Laura Hickman's Sister Honored by Gift to Charity

ann.canela — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:29:51 -0500

In 1989, when Colonel Laura Hickman was an 11th Wing AFDW Project Officer, she happened to participate in a production of a CFC video for the Air Force Network about charities that conduct research for leukemia and help people with the disease. In 1972, her young sister died from acute leukemia, and Colonel Hickman wanted to support others who were dealing with the disease.Colonel Hickman¹s contact with the campaign during the making of the video, convinced her to become an active participant in the CFC.

"The amount of research conducted by CFC supported organizations is truly remarkable, not to mention the progress they have made on the disease. If Sandy were an eight-year-old child today, she would have an 85 to 90 percent survival rate," Colonel Hickman said. "CFC contributions can and do make a difference!"

Wounded Warrior Given Second Chance

ann.canela — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:43:39 -0500

A month into his tour of Iraq, Adam Kisielewski (then Sergeant) and his Lieutenant entered a booby-trapped school in Al Karmah. The explosion killed the Lieutenant. Mr. Kisielewski lost his left arm and his right leg just below the knee. He also suffered numerous other injuries that nearly cost him his left leg.While recovering in the hospital, a representative from a CFCNCA-supported charity began visiting him. This organization's support proved vital to his recuperation.

After Mr. Kisielewski medically retired from the Marine Corps, he worked as a contractor for the Army but felt lost because he was not on the ground with his fellow troops. He began to volunteer with the organization that had been so helpful to him while he was in the hospital. Today he is the organization's full-time Vice President.

"I feel truly honored and humbled to be able to continue to be a part of something so much bigger than me. The sacrifices that these veterans and their families make for our security is extremely difficult to endure at times and I feel like I am in a unique position to assist in ways very few others can. I am so proud to have a chance to give back some of the support that so many people showed me."

Mr. Kisielewski works directly with the troops returning from tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also creates new programs that aid wounded veterans and their families. Equally important, he raises awareness about the challenges that young veterans face and how his organization helps them meet those challenges.