Meet the Family – July 2020

Please welcome Jung Won and her family as the family of the month!

My name is Jung Won, and I am a mother of two children, Sarang and Taeho. I appreciate the opportunity to share the story of our family. Taeho is such an affectionate 4 year old boy with a blissful smile. He loves music, and he is very interested in symbols and anything that has symbols on it.

Taeho has a condition called hypotonia, which makes it difficult for him to keep his body and neck straight up for a long time. Since the quarantine, Taeho’s sister seems eager to play with him, but she gets frustrated that he can only do so much. Taeho means the world to us, but his sister, Sarang, who cares so much about her brother is a blessing to us. Having to help out her brother since she was two and a half years old, she has grown into a kid who is never afraid of stepping up to help others at school. We went through very challenging times with two surgeries Taeho had to endure, but both children gave us so much joy and meaning to us and helped us get through these difficult times as one family unit.

My hope is that the world our children will live in becomes more tolerant and understanding. I also wish that people with disabilities have more opportunities to work and contribute to society, instead of just being on the receiving end of benefits and help. I am forever grateful to CIDA for enabling us to advocate for our children and empowering us to help construct more tolerant and understanding communities.

We recently moved to Connecticut from New York, and I wish there were more collaborations between CIDA and other parent centers across the country. When we lived in New York, we took so much comfort in knowing that we could easily seek help from CIDA staff and engage with other parents. Due to the global pandemic this year, CIDA hosted numerous virtual workshops, and I was able to participate in many. I hope some of the virtual events continue even after we recover from the pandemic, and I look forward to participating in those events and staying in touch with CIDA.

Thank you!