On March 24th, the Romanian Government instituted a National lockdown and all movement outside the home or household was strictly prohibited due to the Corona virus pandemic. Ioana, one of the therapist and guardian angels (as we like to call her :) ) at Copiii de Cristal Center would like to share with us what is the impact of the current world turning upside down through her lenses. Enjoy!
When someone mentions mental disability, our minds go to autism. Yes, autism. Not a disease that goes away by itself or by taking medication, but a disorder that will live within you and leave its mark throughout your entire life.
When someone mentions autism, your mind will switch to a person with special needs, to a diagnosis hard to accept, to a person who is different than you are. You probably wouldn’t think about a person with feelings, who can be overwhelmed by inner vibrations, a person who can fall in love, have dreams and desires…. A person who can flourish, inside out.
When someone mentions autism, most of the times it is hard to imagine that behind the curtains of such a diagnosis, there is a person who can be loved and helped. Who can develop and overcome his/her limits if we just understand that all they need is to be … seen.
“Nothing is easy, but nothing is impossible. For all this,you need to work!” These are my life guiding words. All you need is to strive for your dream and have the power to go beyond limits to achieve it. That’s when you are ready to start the journey. But you need to be fully aware that there will be heavy decisions, moments when the glory will fade. Sometimes you need to settle and simply understand that you are human too and some of the battles will be lost. But the journey is barely starting and there is a tremendously beautiful trip till the very end.
This is what we try to do every single day at the Therapy Center. We’re trying “to walk the journey” counting on the strength of our young adults, their parents, the on-site therapists. But sometimes we face difficulties…
This time, the entire world is turning upside down. It is tremendously difficult for us to make sure we are providing the protection our young adults and children need, considering the situation with the Coronavirus.
Because of the condition itself, people with mental disabilities can face metabolic disorders that weaken the immune system. Given the situation Romania faced in this period, Copiii de Cristal (Foundation that works day and night to ensure the therapies and well-being of people with autism) had to close the doors and stop the therapies.
It was by far not an easy decision, but it was the right one to make sure we are not compromising the health of our children and young adults benefiting from our centre. In such times, being healthy, safe and loved is more important than anything else.
Being in constant contact with our beneficiaries and hearing that they and their families are healthy and protected is the most rewarding thing these days.
At the same time, we worry the financial resources of keeping the Therapy Center running will be impacted. With the nation-wide lockdown, we’ve already started to see a decrease in funding even from our regular sponsors, from individuals and private companies alike.
There is no way to see what will be the final impact of this pandemic on us and on the Center, but what we know for sure is that this is just a battle over the entire journey.
We, the therapists on the front line of these young adults’ lives, are looking forward to starting the activity again, seeing the young adults again and the happiness on their faces when they reunite with their friends.
We’ll make sure to take all necessary measures to ensure we can safely perform our activities going forward and keep on improving the lives of these adults.
They and their families need us now more than ever…
