DDAWNY FAMILY COMMITTEE - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Board Member at - Large ( People Inc. )
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Vice President ( Agency
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Individual Representative
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Treasurer ( Agency
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of Committee
I am Don OBrien and I am here again with my wife Vivian and my son Mike. Last year we spoke to this group about our need to find an appropriate placement for Mike and I have to say we are still waiting. For those of you who do not know Mike I would like to introduce him. Mike has spastic quadriplegia as a result of a simple operation he had for a hernia at the age of three months. During the operation his heart stopped beating, depriving his brain of oxygen and causing brain damage. He is confined to his electric wheelchair from the time we get him up in the morning until we put him to bed at night. He needs help with all phases of personal care: showering, toileting, dressing, feeding and getting about the community.
Mike has lived with us at home for his entire 54 years. He has been very active and productive. He holds a general studies degree from NCCC. He worked as a data entry clerk at the Center for Assisted Technology at the University of Buffalo for ten years until that program was curtailed because of lack of funding. He is an avid sports fan and was inducted into the Kenmore East High School Athletic Hall of Fame as a special supporter. In 2002 he was inducted into the Western New York Baseball Hall of Fame in recognition of his commitment to sports.
He was a member of the Silver Wheels wheelchair football team for 15 years and plays softball in the Touching Bases League. He loves to bowl and uses a special ramp to do so. He is a staunch supporter of the Sabres and the Bandits. Like many others he misses his Sabres. In addition, he loves to travel. He has been to Europe a number of times and has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Canada.
Vivian and I are Mike's caregivers and are not getting any younger. We are presently 80 and 78 years old. I have been receiving treatment for metastasized carcinoid cancer for almost five years. On September 1st of last year I had a liver resection to remove some troublesome tumors. Recently I have started a regimen of radiation and chemotherapy. As you might expect, as we get older and have more health complications, Vivian, Mike and I have become increasingly concerned for Mike's future.
Mike has been waiting for an appropriate group home placement. His name has been on the Registry since 1992 and we are still waiting. He is among the over 1100 disabled citizens on that list. We recognize we are approaching the time when we will no longer be able to provide the personal care Mike requires. We need to find an appropriate group home placement and we need to find that placement soon. Our dream is to see Mike established in a secure and comfortable environment where his basic needs will be met and he will have the intellectual and social stimulation of friends. Most importantly, we want to be able to participate in that placement to facilitate his transition to a new living environment. Unfortunately, we are still waiting.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- President ( Agency
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Secretary ( Aspire )
My name is Kathy Bunce. I have three wonderful children, two sons who are successful and active in sports and their community. They have much to offer our family and one day, the world. My daughter, Samantha, the eldest, is friendly, happy and active as well. She also has significant global developmental disabilities, across all areas. Samantha too, has much to offer the world.
Samantha attends Summit Educational Resources, a school for children with complex developmental disabilities and autism. She is 17 years old, non-verbal, and has a 1:1 aide for safety. She is delightful, yet still a child, intellectually like 3 year old, with uncontrolled seizures and needing help with eating, dressing, toileting, medication and other personal care.
At 14 months old, our developmental pediatrician doubted that therapy would help. We disagreed. Now she no longer hits her head on the walls and floors when she is frustrated. She can walk and run, and has a few words to tell us what she needs. She has friends and relationships with people beyond her family, and is safe and happy. She meets people wherever she goes. She has much to give the world.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Executive Committee
- Education