Anita

Even Super Mom’s Need a Little Help.

“Bounce turned the green light on for us.”

Anita Barraza is a super mom. Two of her three kids ride wheelchairs due to Cerebral Palsy and her middle child frequents the ICU for acute asthma. She also has a successful career as an occupational therapist and overcame sixteen years of uncertainty and guilt until the root cause for her children’s Cerebral Palsy was diagnosed as a very rare genetic mutation.

Everyday outings involve extraordinary, time-consuming feats of planning, packing and engineering medical equipment for Anita and her husband, José.

Events with their extended family leave Anita accused of being anti-social, having to tend to Daniel, 14, and Diana, 19, for their medical needs, or leave early because the music is too loud or there is not enough space for the wheelchairs.

While super moms, like Anita, can do the unimaginable, they do not have unlimited resources, money, time or emotional reserves to make the “fun time,” needed to hold the family together.

Other programs for sick children the Barraza’s looked into excluded siblings. None encompassed all five of them, driving separation within the family. That is, until Bounce was recommended to Anita by a friend.

Bounce is both recreation and support for the whole family; It redefines family time for the Barraza’s, allowing them to focus on something other than illness.

When at a Bounce Bash® family adventure, accommodations need not be a worry. The Barrazas feel safe, accepted and welcomed.

“It’s easy to become consumed with our routine and the ‘we can’ts,’” said Anita. “Bounce Back Kit® family care packages, for example, force us to sit down for a few hours and really enjoy our time together.”

Life with a Chronic Illness is a series of unexpected setbacks for the child and the family. The concrete plans and programs Bounce provides build resilience, and break monotony, in a life so otherwise defined by procedures and appointments.

“Bounce turned the green light on for us,” said Anita.

Anita credits her continuous ability to accomplish all she does as a result of the support from her family and from Bounce.

Finally, the Barraza’s have found a community that makes family time possible, because even super moms can’t do it all.