Through a caring community of support, Fabiana was introduced to a whole new world of possibilities for her son, Gabriel.

Through a caring community of support, Fabiana was introduced to a whole new world of possibilities for her son, Gabriel.
Gabriel is 12 years old. He has a bright spirit, loves people, and has a passion for music. It is not uncommon to find Gabriel with a smile on his face so big it stretches from ear to ear – a smile you might not expect from someone who faced many challenges at a young age.
Born at just 26 weeks, Gabriel spent the first months of his life in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). During this difficult time, Fabiana befriended the family of Gabriel’s NICU neighbour, Ryan. “We spent five months together in the NICU, and me and his mom became very good friends,” explains Fabiana. Without realizing it, their family had made the initial connection to a community that would one day become a vital source of support.
Gabriel eventually grew strong enough to leave the NICU, and he made his way home or the very first time, where a new journey began. “I noticed that his development was very late,” says Fabiana, explaining that Gabriel wasn’t meeting his expected milestones.
After countless therapy appointments and doctors’ visits, it was finally determined that Gabriel had been born with cerebral palsy (CP). “We knew, with Gabe being born so early, there was a higher risk of disability. But all the brain scans were clear at the hospital, so we thought his main issue was really his breathing.”
The diagnosis, having come as a bit of a shock to his parents, was difficult to accept. “At first it, felt like all my dreams for Gabriel were shattered. We didn’t know what CP was going to mean to for him… was he going to be able to sit? Would he be able to walk on his own one day? It was hard to face so many unknowns.”
“At first it, felt like all my dreams for Gabriel were shattered. We didn’t know what CP was going to mean to for him… It was hard to face so many unknowns.”
Over time, however, Fabiana was able to find comfort and reassurance in community – connecting with other moms whose children have disabilities. “I met another mom whose son also had CP – and I just remember looking at her life, seeing that she was still functioning, going to the movies, going to sports games – it helped me understand what life could look like for Gabriel,” she explains. “That’s when we shifted our mindset – when other parents started showing us what is possible.”
It was around this time that Gabriel’s family was introduced to the incredible impact that equipment could have on Gabriel’s life, and when they first learned about Easter Seals Ontario.
Throughout the years, the Easter Seals Equipment Funding Program has played crucial a role in helping Gabriel access several pieces of equipment, including a manual wheelchair, power wheelchair, bath chair, custom stroller and wheelchair seating, commode, and more recently, a communication device.
The communication device, which is mounted on Gabriel’s wheelchair, enables him to participate at school and interact more fully with the world around him. The device started off as an eye gaze system when he was not fully verbal. But as Gabriel strengthened his communication skills and developed more language, his family began to explore what was possible with the device. “We changed the device to use voice-to-text, and then last year we started adding switches so he can operate a computer on his own by using the switches.”
Your support will make a meaningful impact in the lives of children like Gabriel.
Fabiana continues by explaining that the communication device even allows Gabriel to complete all of his language and science schoolwork on his own, without relying on his educational assistant to transcribe everything or write his work for him. While this is a huge accomplishment for Gabriel, what he likely appreciates the most is his improved ability to connect and communicate with others.
“He really likes to bring people together,” shares Fabiana. It is Gabriel’s love of socializing with other kids that led his family to sign him up for his first session at Easter Seals’ Camp Woodeden last summer.
“He kept telling us he wanted to go to camp, also because his older brother goes to camp, so we signed him up in January when applications opened.” Full of excitement, Gabriel talked about going to camp for the next several months. But as the drop-off date got closer, Gabriel started to get a bit nervous about staying away from home.
“He started to get very anxious about going. But I reassured him that we would come pick him up if he really didn’t like it,” shares Fabiana. “But after we got there and got through the whole drop-off process, he turned to us and said ‘Ok, bye. You can leave now.’”
At Camp Woodeden, Gabriel was introduced to a whole new world. “It was such an amazing experience for him. It gave him a sense of independence, which he craves. We are always with him, and we know what he needs, but camp gave him that moment to be away from us.”
At camp, Gabriel also had the opportunity to meet other campers and make new friends. “He had the super fun experience of connecting with all the other kids with disabilities, and seeing that he is not the only one. I think that was very important.”
“To see that everything was adapted, everything was possible. I couldn’t believe that a place like this exists… it was amazing.”
While Gabriel met many new faces at Woodeden last summer, there was at least one face he had seen before. Gabriel’s NICU neighbour, Ryan, was not only attending Woodeden during the same session, but the two were cabin mates!
And after that first session at Woodeden, Gabriel is already looking forward to going back next summer. “He loved every minute of camp, he could not stop talking about. He was so happy that he got to go to camp, just like his big brother.” Fabiana is even trying to coordinate with Ryan’s mom so the two boys can attend together again.
“When we first left camp, I have to be honest with you, I cried,” shares Fabiana. “To see that everything was adapted, everything was possible. I couldn’t believe that a place like this exists… it was amazing.”
Thanks to the unwavering support of Easter Seals donors and the compassionate community of parents, Gabriel has found the opportunities to thrive. Your kindness and generosity have transformed Gabriel’s life, and that of many other Easter Seals children, enabling him to embrace independence, build lasting friendships, and discover his true potential.