“When I think what a hero is, it comes down to being brave. Leia’s family is brave. Despite all the challenges and setbacks with her development, they’ve never given up. They have always kept going with what they’ve learnt. Leia is such an amazing little girl that has had to face many challenges at her young age. Her family has been there the entire path and it is truly admirable.”

 – Merlyn Moreira, CDTC Early Steps Service Coordinator

A message from a CDTC Mom….

My daughter Leia was born with progressive hearing loss and showed severe developmental and physical delays. She was completely immobile unable to even roll from back to tummy and was so hypersensitive to touch that she wouldn’t let us hold her hands.

Imagine not being able to hold your daughter’s hands without her pulling away.

With the help of her team of therapists through Early Steps she is improving and, with assistance from her family, is taking her first steps towards walking. She is humming to every tune of every song as though her hearing is unaffected, and most importantly lets me and her dad touch her hands without getting upset.

Leia still has a long way to go with so much to learn, but what is amazing is that she has a great team of therapists and specialists working with her throughout this journey. Our involvement with Early Steps has taught my family a deeper understanding of Leia’s needs and how best to care for her at home. It has also provided us a better sense of who Leia is as a person.

We have seen throughout her journey such a love and excitement towards experiencing new things and achieving various milestones. We are very grateful for the opportunity that Early Steps has provided us in providing the best treatment for our daughter while also helping us bond to her in a way we never knew we could.

– Kimberly Garcia