When he was first diagnosed, I thought to myself, “what did I do to cause this?” I placed a lot of blame on myself. I think that drive to fight for him and others like him will always burn inside me. I will always be there to make sure he is part of all school activities and feels included as a member of the community. Every time I have to fight for those things, I cry because it’s sad that we have to do that as parents. But each time, I wipe my tears and push forward because I know when he walks across that stage on graduation day with his diploma, it’ll all be worth it.
On top of everything he’s accomplished in school, Klemente also recently played soccer at the state level in the Special Olympics and helped his team win the gold medal. He scored his first goal, which turned out to be the winning goal in the championship game. I can’t wait to see what he accomplishes this winter during basketball season – knowing him, he’ll do big things!
Klemente was diagnosed with autism at the age of two, and although he has limited speech, I promise you if you speak to him, he WILL make you smile or laugh. Years of speech and occupational therapies have certainly helped him express himself and communicate his emotions. He’s full of life, proud of who he is and always has a huge smile on his face. It’s that smile that keeps me going and reminds me of why we were blessed with one another.
I just want the world to see him the way I see him – a proud, young Puerto Rican man who can do anything he puts his mind to.
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