“Not a Burden, but an Honor”: A Mother’s Holiday Message of Gratitude
As the holiday season approaches, many families are busy decorating their homes, planning gatherings, and celebrating traditions. For Lourdes, a devoted mother of a young man with significant disabilities, this season is also a time to pause, reflect, and say thank you.
Recently, Lourdes joined one of our team meetings to share, in her own words, how the services her family receives have transformed their lives. What began as a simple invitation from her care coordinator became a moving reminder of why this work matters.
“You change lives”
Lourdes opened her remarks with a soft smile and a steady voice:
“First, I thank God, the organization, Noemi, Gloria—all of you—who are wonderful people, empathetic to our situation, and respectful. I just want to express our gratitude, because the organization, the work that you do, truly changes lives.”
Lourdes is the mother of Carlos, a young man with complex disabilities. At about 5 feet 7 inches tall and with only about 40% mobility in his body, Carlos requires intensive, hands-on support for daily activities like bathing and going out to the park. Lourdes has no extended family nearby and often navigates health, disability, and immigration challenges largely on her own.
She told us that before receiving help, the physical and emotional toll was immense:
“It is difficult. I am alone here; I have no family, no one else but God and, obviously, the Advocacy Network.
You have made my life, my back, much lighter. My back is destroyed, but with the hours that you give us, you have relieved me a lot.”
Through our services, Carlos now has a support person who takes him to the park and helps with personal care. These hours are more than just scheduled assistance—they are lifelines.
From Isolation to Support: “Knowing We’re Not Alone”
Over and over, Lourdes returned to one theme: the feeling of not being alone.
“You don’t know the impact you have on our families. I speak for my family, because I have a special needs child. We are vulnerable families. Your help truly makes us feel that we are not alone… you make us feel that we are accompanied, that we can count on someone.”
Living at the intersection of disability and immigration struggles only adds to the pressure. As she put it:
“Apart from having a child with disabilities, we also have the immigration problem that is drowning us, and that makes everything much more difficult. But truly, thank you, because you are there. God never abandons anyone, and your organization is proof of that.”
For Lourdes, support is not just about services. It’s about being seen, heard, and treated with dignity.
An everyday hero
During the visit, one of our team members, Adriana, took a moment to recognize what everyone in the room was already thinking:
“I wanted to congratulate you because you are also a great mother.
If you think that we make an effort to help you, we know that your work is endless, demanding, and deeply meaningful.”… Gloria and Noemi have done a great job, but you are the protagonist of all this.”
Lourdes smiled and responded with the kind of quiet strength that defines so many caregivers:
“For me it is an honor to take care of my son. He is not a burden. I am so grateful to God that He allows me to care for him. Every time I can do something for my son, I say, ‘Thank you, God, today I can do this.’
I am blessed to be able to care for my son. Not all mothers can say that.”
Her words reminded us that at the heart of our work are families, and often a caregiver whose love is as constant as it is exhausting.
Keeping the spirit of Christmas alive
Gloria, the care coordinator currently working with Lourdes and Carlos, shared a powerful glimpse into their daily life. She described how, even as Carlos has lost his mobility and his sight, Lourdes still decorates their home for Christmas exactly the way she did when he could see and run around with excitement.
“She told me that Carlos loved Christmas and that he used to jump with joy.
Now he can’t walk anymore, he can’t see anymore. But she keeps doing the same things because he is alive, like she told me.
She wants him to still enjoy the things he was used to.”
Gloria recorded a short video of Lourdes’ Christmas decorations—handmade pieces that fill the home floor to ceiling with light and color. The only part she didn’t make herself was a small village gifted to her years ago at the Ronald McDonald House. Everything else, she crafted from scratch.
For Gloria, this was more than a cute holiday moment; it was a symbol of resilience and love:
“That’s why I made the video. My daughter always tells me I decorate too much during the holidays. And she [Lourdes] keeps doing it. I love that.”
Even in the face of profound loss—of sight, of mobility—Lourdes keeps joy alive for her son.
Food, culture, and connection
The relationship between Lourdes and Gloria extends well beyond paperwork and appointments. Lourdes often invites Gloria to stay for a meal when she visits the home.
“She has invited me to eat, and she asked me, ‘Have you ever eaten shrimp with eggs? Shrimp soup?’ Never. Barley soup and things like that that I had no idea about—and I love it.
When I do the home visit, she always calls me: ‘Please don’t eat outside. I’m going to prepare something from my country for you.’ And I love that.”
These shared meals are more than just food—they’re cultural exchange, companionship, and a reminder that caring is reciprocal. As Gloria keeps an eye on Carlos and Lourdes’ well-being, Lourdes, in turn, makes sure Gloria is fed and welcomed like family.
“Not just calling to ask for favors”
One of the most striking things Lourdes said that morning was this:
“We always call to ask for favors, so why not also call to say thank you?
It was only fair and necessary that I come and thank you personally.”
So often, families reach out to organizations like ours in moments of crisis, when the needs are urgent and the systems are overwhelming. Lourdes wanted to come on a different kind of day—to simply say thank you, to put faces to the voices on the phone, and to let the staff know that their work matters.
Her only request? To keep the service hours going:
“The way you could continue helping us would be, with God’s favor and the people who contribute, to not let the hours fail us—those little hours. Because truly they are a huge help, huge, huge.
Otherwise, you are doing it wonderfully well.”
Removing barriers, not just celebrating resilience
At the close of the meeting, our director, Ire Diaz offered a reflection that resonated deeply with everyone present:
“Celebrating somebody, without making any effort to remove the barriers that cause the problems, is meaningless. There are a lot of videos out there that celebrate the magnificent work that people with disabilities do, but celebrating somebody for overcoming barriers that we create as a society is meaningless. I am so grateful that we work to remove those barriers so that people can truly be part of the community.”
True inclusion isn’t just telling inspiring stories. It’s working every day to remove the structural, social, and economic barriers that make life harder for families like Lourdes and Carlos.
A message for the holidays—and beyond
As the gathering came to an end, Lourdes left us with a final blessing and a gentle reminder about perspective:
“There must always be moments to thank God and to have a humble heart and to accept things. God is wise and perfect; we are not.
Whatever comes, we live each day with joy. Problems are less of a problem if you have a good attitude.
Thank you for allowing me once again to thank you, to see you, to get to know you. May you have happy holidays, and may God always bless your lives and the lives of your families.”
Her words, her courage, and her love for Carlos are exactly why we do this work.
