Sara Cifuentes knows about life challenges. An immigrant from Colombia and mother of five children, she is a domestic violence survivor and after five months of living in a car, she’s now in temporary housing with her two boys. Thomas, 12, is on the autism spectrum. Julian, 16, has a pending autism diagnosis. Sara is also a proud card-carrying student of Bellevue College and now helps other victims of domestic violence.

Although early on Sara expressed concern that her boys were not developing in the same progression as her older children, her concerns were continually dismissed by doctors,  counselors, and education administrators. Over the years, reasons for her boys’s behaviors were given many labels: ADHD, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Prenatal Stress, bilingual language delay, and overly high doses of ADHD medication. Autism was never mentioned. At one point when Sara questioned if autism was a possibility, the sharp reply was, “do you want another label? Don’t you have enough?” What Sara was looking for was answers and someone to help.

Sara found that help and those answers when she met WAAA Parent Partner Diana Lafornara at a resource fair in 2015. “Meeting Diana was a light at the end of the tunnel” declared Sara. “When I needed her the most, she was there for me.”

Since meeting Diana, WAAA has helped Sara through challenging times. Diana educated Sara about Autism Spectrum Disorder, and connected her with community resources. WAAA colleague Korina Heard found a local provider who accepted Medicaid and was able to get Sara’s boys in for an evaluation, avoiding a one-year wait list for diagnosis services. Mid-evaluation, Sara suffered a stroke. She credits her boys’ needs for her quick recovery. “They need me,” she asserts, “I have to help them through this.”

Now with answers to her questions, Sara finds hope in the future ahead. She knows they have more challenges to face, but says Diana has opened doors for her. “The key is someone who understands,” says Sara. “The door is open and I always feel welcome at WAAA. I know they are there for me as we continue to face challenges together.”