Respite Care for Kyra

Kyra is a jewelry designer and single mom of four children, all with special needs. Her eldest is twice-exceptional with diagnoses including ASD, ADHD, and Type 1 Diabetes.  Last fall she had to withdraw her son from school in order to manage his medical and mental health needs. Because of the difficulty of managing his diabetes in addition to his other requirements, Kyra-- or some other caregiver-- must be with her son at all times. She is currently waiting for her youngest children, twins, to be evaluated for ASD as well.

There have been a few developments since I started this fundraiser, many of them frustrating. (Your support, however, has been invaluable!)

At the end of last school year, Kyra and her son faced a number of hurdles to enrolling in school for the 2019-2020 school year. Despite numerous meetings, the Toronto District School Board has failed to find her son a placement, and Kyra is now fighting the system to find him a placement where he can receive an education and necessary therapies.

 I accompanied Kyra to a meeting last spring at which  school officials, social workers, and mental health professionals  were  unanimous that respite care is absolutely imperative to ensure Kyra’s continued ability to take care of her children's numerous needs, particularly as she has no family to offer support. Unfortunately, under the Ford government the province of Ontario’s SSAH funding program-- which pays for respite-- has been frozen. Funding for autism programs has been cut, and waiting lists for the funding that is on offer are eighteen months or more.  She now needs further support in order to find the time and energy to make the way through the bureaucratic maze of finding schooling for her eldest son.

Kyra has been working as a caregiver nonstop for the past two and a half years,  caring for both her parents as they died as well as being the primary caregiver for her children. Kyra absolutely needs respite care for the summer months to protect her own mental health and prevent caregiver burnout. Her friends and I are raising money for Kyra to have respite care so she can take care of her own health, attend necessary appointments, and have space to mourn her parents. This is what she needs to help her children thrive.