Success Stories

Barbara Hayes used to be afraid to sleep in her own bed for fear she’d stop breathing and not wake up. Her doctor told her she stopped breathing 20 times…

Ask Mary her secret to living to be 109, and she’ll pause for a minute to think about it. Not because she has trouble speaking, it’s just that she’s not…

At three and a half months old, Annalise had her first seizure. “We didn’t know what it was, so we took her to Riley,” said Annalise’s mom, Myriam. The doctors…

People don’t know how strong they are until they have to be. “I’ve been lifting her every day since she was born, so I’ve been growing with her. She’s not…

“Things are stressful, so it may be small, but it means the world,” Cindy said. “It makes you get your own troubles out of your head for a little bit.”…

Mimi Ventresca was enjoying life in San Diego. She’d retired after working more than 30 years for the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, so she spent time in the sunshine,…

When Jane had her first child 27 years ago, she wasn’t prepared for what followed. Her son, Brandon, was born without legs or arms. It’s such a rare congenital condition,…

When Jeff’s daughter Emma was born, he prepared for the worst. He knew Emma had holoprosencephaly, and that babies with this brain defect typically live only a few weeks or…

Julia doesn’t like to think what her life would be like if she didn’t have CICOA’s Way2Go transportation service. Julia, 73, not only is concerned about taking care of her…