Ezekiel, means "Strength of God". When I found out I was pregnant, I knew God would bless me with a precious little boy-I wanted a boy so badly. I knew his name would be Ezekiel, and I knew he would have an incredible purpose in this world. His father knew too, the moment after he was born, he was overwhelmed with tears and he knew our son would be someone extremely special. We had dreams and envisioned our son making touchdowns, slamdunks, scoring goals. I couldn't wait to teach him about the world, I imagined his little voice and the conversations we would have. Everything was great, we were so in love with our baby boy. Emerald green eyes, the deepest dimples, curly hair.perfect. He hit 12 months old, I expected him to be walking around for his 1st birthday party... he wasn't. That bothered me, a lot more than I wanted it to. Next thing I know, he is 15 months old and still struggling to walk. Finally at 17 months old, he walked and it was my first super proud moment of my son, but it got me thinking... Why did it take so long for him? We took him to his well-check with his pediatrician and mentioned some little concerns- next thing we know Ezekiel is getting evaluated by a developmental pediatrician and she says he is Autistic. It hit us hard. I thought my son is suppose to play sports with his friends. He will never get married, he will never be independent. They will bully him and laugh at him. Suddenly my life felt like a movie and my heart was breaking. Until I realized something, Why am I limiting what my son is capable of? I decided to learn everything I possibly could and find positive stories and it began to inspire me and turned me into his advocate. I am so proud of my son and the progress he makes every day. I wouldn't change him for the world. I will love and support who he is until the day I die.

Serena Arvayo
Santa Clara, CA