A Mother’s Wish

My name is Leslie Taleno, I have two wonderful daughters. Ava (14) and Mia (13). Mia is a bit different from other kids her age. She has several diagnoses that make it difficult to live a “normal” life; the main ones are Autism, Chron’s disease, and Epilepsy.
Throughout her life, Mia has always been in and out of hospitals. She has endured endless hours of therapies just to have her keep up with her peers. All of this plays a huge role in our lives and has affected everyone specifically my oldest daughter Ava. Ava has played a very important role in Mia’s life. During all of this, Ava has always been a great daughter and sister. She has always been at her sister’s side, and has been a major support system for Mia. Ava finished Middle School and now attending our local high school. She wants to be a film director.
My hopes for Mia are also similar to that of Ava; it is to be able to be an independent and a productive citizen. I hope that with the help of God and her determination her dreams of becoming an illustrator/ artist will become a reality. I am very proud of both of my daughters for achieving so much in their lives and as a parent, I could not be happier.