Lela Kikvidze

Nika and I have been living with his autism diagnosis for a long time. With the diagnosis received at 3 years old, the fear of an uncertain future ahead, a lack of information and services, we have only come this far because of the support of family members, friends, and other parents.

 

Yet today, we face the biggest challenge ahead - everyday I have to fear, what will happen when I am no longer here?! Who will stand at Nika’s side?! Who will be Nika’s advocate?! We parents of children with disabilities are actively looking for the answers to these questions, but the state has no answers for us. I have hope that Nika will be able to live independently, continue his studies, and be active in society. But in order for this to become a reality there needs to be more support provided for him and as of now we don’t know where that support will come from.

 

For now, I will continue to fight alongside other parents for our children's futures, and every other child that may need our help.