Foundation Background

In October of 2001, after spending numerous visits in the hospital with our son, Cole, the decision to found Cole's Dream Foundation™ was made.   So many people over the past few years have asked me how I am able to be so strong and handled things with my son.  In truth, I owe all of my knowledge and strength to the many people from Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Andreas Regional Center, RAMBLIC Pediatric, GoodSamaritan Hospital, Blind Babies Foundation, C.A.R. and many other individuals who took the time to educate me and listen to my fears and numerous questions to help me do my best for my son and for our family.  Most of all I thank my son Michael for always being there night after night helping me care for his brother and sister even as a child himself.  My courage and strength today comes from Cole.  He has inspired me to really see what is important in life and in me as a person.  Through tragedy there is an amazing gift of love and strength that grows from with in our hearts and souls. 

Before Cole passed away it was very frustrating to me that there was no one-stop place that could give a parent information to get through the process for getting information and support for a child's needs.  Most of the agencies I met with on a non-profit level only wanted to talk about their services and were not very helpful directing me to others out in the community.  My inspiration to start CDF was through all the parents and children I had come in contact with over the past few years and seeing their fears, frustrations and the heartache they were going through.  It was all too familiar to me.   There were numerious organizations that had great support services but they didn't capture everything out in the community avaialble for children and meeting their needs.

Our hope is to one day be able to help families and children like Cole around the world. We want every parent and care provider to get the information and services they need for a child without having to spend months figuring out how to get it.  Everyone should have the opportunity to care for both their child's needs and their families without feeling overwhelmed or beaten up by the enormous responsibility that comes with raising a child with special needs.

Since February of 2000 Cole suffered from numerous complications due to his primary condition, which is still unidentified today.  It was a tremendous effort to find the right doctors, therapists, daycare providers and support to assist both my son on a medical standpoint and our family through his medical ups and downs on an emotional and financial level.  It was through these experiences that I realized we were not alone in these struggles. There were other parents, siblings, friends and professionals that had a need for a resource or guide book to help them get to the information and services available in their communities.

Having the right information at the right time is so critical to give a developmentally challenged child a fighting chance to over come some, if not all, of their disabilities. In some cases there are no cures for their conditions, but they still deserve to have the best quality of life possible and the opportunity to live with their families comfortably where possible.

It is my hope and dream that through this foundation we can help pave a fast road to support, resources and rehabilitation for children requiring special care and therapeutic services.  It's a huge dream but together we can make a difference for children and families around the world improving their quality of life.