Dear Editor:
We wish to thank Sharon Yamato for writing her fine article (“A Very Special Family,” Aug. 13) on our family. We appreciate her conveying that there is wonderful help for the mentally handicapped (developmentally disabled), and for the mentally ill (a brain disease disorder).
I thought no one could care for our girls as much as we could. As we considered help for our daughters, it was difficult to trust others to care for them. We are so grateful for caring people who teach, train, and work patiently with our loved ones. We discovered that are some wonderful board-and-care homes with devoted caregivers.
Charise, 54, now lives independently, and Alisa, soon to be 50, is in a loving care home, and both are doing very well. Our middle daughter, Michal, our so-called “normal child,” has two sons and lives in Irvine. They each have their own lives, for which we are very grateful and thankful to God.
Sharon has written a sensitive and caring article bringing attention to families with special-needs members. Thank you, Sharon!
Marion, Saburo, Charise, Michal, & Alisa Masada