Take A Minute To Get To Know Me:
Hello and thank you for stopping
in to Hand of Angels, Lake County. We are the newest chapter of Hand of Angels. When I was introduced to the organization
I immediately felt a connection with the group’s leader, Terry West. Her hopes and goals directly aligned with my dreams
and desires for helping my local families of Lake County Florida. Thank you Hand of Angels for allowing me the opportunity
to serve my fellow families here in Lake County. We really could use a good support system here. I genuinely feel that we
are entirely under-served locally.
A brief history of myself. I was born and raised in rural Upstate, NY. A town call Canandaigua; it
is part of the beautiful Finger Lakes Region. It is rich in history, wine making and an overall great place to call home.
It will always be my first home! The winters are long and snowy, which is what brought me to beautiful Clermont, FL. My desire
to escape the snow is what caused me to leave NY 11 years ago. It was Memorial Day Weekend in 1999. My daughter was six months
old. At the time my profession was Cosmetology. This career allowed me an immediate chance to begin getting to know the fine
people of Lake County. I soon built a clientele following and fell in love with the gorgeous Rolling Hills of Florida. No
matter how hard I might have tried, I just couldn’t tear myself away from here and back to the cold frosty winters of
NY. I did move back to NY for a brief period, which is when I pursued a technical degree in computer science and began working
for Delta Airlines, as a Customer Service Agent.
When we first moved here, Clermont was still very fresh in its growth stages and was
still quite small in comparison to its current size. We have seen tremendous growth, and with growth always bring change.
I often wonder how native Clermont residents feel about the sometimes over-whelming growth of their sleepy little town! I
hope they continue to embrace the growth.
As the parent of a child who has a health impairment I have faced many personal and professional
struggles. My daughter Kelsey was three years old when she was diagnosed with epilepsy. I have mourned
greatly since that day eight and a half years ago. In some ways I guess I still mourn occasionally. But
for the most part I have accepted it. I believe the acceptance stage has been the hardest for me for many reasons. I still
worry and have fears. My Faith, family and friends are what see me through my fears on a daily basis. I feel very fortunate
because Kelsey’s seizures are well controlled through a good medicine regime and regular doctor care. Despite the good
control of the seizures she is still afflicted with side effects. The medicine she takes is powerful; the benefits of it far
out weigh the risk and side effects it creates. Kelsey leads a happy and full life. She is not physically disabled or limited.
She does suffer from learning challenges as well; this comes with the territory for many people who live with epilepsy.
Kelsey’s learning disability is where I have faced the most problems. Not because she has
one: I accepted and recognized that fact a long time ago. I just wish I could get other professionals important in Kelsey's
day to day life to recognize and account for it. The issue for me lies in the fact that the school has failed to properly
test and identify her exact needs, despite constant prodding from me and Kelsey’s Neurologist. I have most recently
obtained proper screening, in the private sector, from a psychologist. He was immediately able to help Kelsey and spell out
exactly what needs to be done for her educationally. I am still anticipating the beginning of school and the IEP meeting to
get Kelsey’s educational goals and needs mapped out. I hope to watch her daily school struggles fade away as she is
taught in a manner consistent with her learning ability. This I believe will make the effects of the Specific Learning Disability
fade away, as she will be able to be more successful with her curriculum. Kelsey’s self-esteem has plummeted in the
past couple of years from her issues with school work. It has all put an enormous stress and strain on our entire family.
It is really only through perseverance and support from our entire family that we are able to make strides and stay together.
The one thing that has healed us the most is getting to know other families who have similiar issues. Just
like snowflakes...I believe No Two People, or their experiences are the same. People face diversion and struggles
for many reasons. Abilities and disabilities show themselves in many formats and most of the time are not manifested identically
as the next person who deals with the same affliction. Part of the grieving process is the acceptance stage: it is
definitely the hardest, because it can linger on for many years. It has been the longest phase of this process for me and
my family. When we started to realize that the problems we have are not only happening to us, it really helped. It is only
natural human emotion to desire company. When you surround yourself with others who relate easily to your daily life activities
and scenarios, it seems easier to laugh at your-self and take things in stride. This is where I hope to come in for other
families like ourselves. I want to be the hand that is there to grab when someone else reaches out for help. I am not a doctor
or teacher. I do not hold any fancy degree. I do not even work outside of my home anymore. I have held many titles throughout
my life at various different times. The one title that I hold on to dearly though is Friend!
This subject area is where I pride
myself the most. This is where I consider my degree to be in: Friendship. It is not always easy to find a true friend.
If there is one thing that your stop at our website today gives you, my hope is that it is encouragement. Encouragement
to set your fears aside, if only temporarily for now, and take the hand of another person who has walked in your shoes; and
continues to walk in them every day. This does not need to be a lonely road. Take the hand of a new friend. Once I did this
everything started seeming less scary daily! I started to feel the fog of my daily worries lifting. I began to feel like I
was living again. Together hand-in-hand we can help each other navigate this sometimes scary road we are walking. Reach out-take
our Hand; join in the friendship-share yourself, or look for help. I know you will be glad you took that step.
I check my mail
daily, so if you want to reach out and email me, I will respond as quickly as life allows me. Put your
name on our Friend Book, it forms my mailing lists; we can share a lot of great information this way. Just remember you do
not need to be alone.
Thank you for taking the time to read a small piece of my story and what has brought me to this point in my
life. Only God knows where is next, but for me the More the Merrier!! I look forward to hearing from you
all. Click on the link that says Reach out to us-Grab Our Hand...this is the best way to get a hold of me!
Peace, Love and
Hope…
Heather Decker
