Meet Your Feisty New Friends...
Michelle
Slaney-Trovato
Michelle has a Master’s Degree in Special Education and has taught in a wide variety of educational settings, including Deaf Education, Alternate Education, and student leadership.
She is also a special needs mom navigating the transition for her son from the youth system to the adult system in Canada. Michelle is the founder and host of the top rated podcast and TV show “Living Your Legacy”. She specializes in helping other caregivers craft, and create the legacy they want to see for their loved ones.
Michelle's Story
This epic story started in 1999. I was just a year married. We decided we wanted to have children. Instead, the universe led us on a 4.5 year medical journey that ended in a diagnosis of undiagnosed infertility. Literally everything works, and no one can figure out why nothing works!
Unwilling to give up the dream to be parents, we decided to pursue adoption. Our first beautiful boy was born in LA in 2004. The joy of being new parents soon faded as I realized that developmentally, things for him were not working out the way the books said it should.
Another 4.5 year medical journey, we learned the depth and breadth of his challenges are all-encompassing and lifelong; including physical, intellectual, medical and mental health challenges. Our second son was born in 2009 and also joined our family through adoption. Several years later he was diagnosed with ADD and social anxiety.
Now we are in the transition process for my eldest, moving from the youth system to the adult system. It’s a “less-than” system with little to no support for families negotiating the mountains of paperwork and making difficult, life-long decisions for their young adult children.
When I reconnected with my fun friend Katy, and shared my feisty frustrations, I knew right away that together we could provide each other, and YOU, with everything we all need to help us be the best, most creative and hopeful caregivers we can all be. We hope you’ll join us on this amazing journey. Together we can literally change the world!
Katy
Kaumeyer
She's a kid at heart and frequently imagines herself as a superhero, because in real life – she's a single mom to two adult kiddos and the primary caregiver to her adult-disabled son. She loves to get creative, read, be outside, get her hands dirty in the yard, and mess around with technology.
With an unwavering belief that anyone can succeed, Katy collaborates with others so they can go from merely building a business to leaving a lasting legacy. Her mission is to empower others, ensuring they never lose sight of just how AWESOME they are!
Katy's Story
It started in 2001 when my sweet boy was born. From day one I knew he was special, but I never felt I needed to put a label on what made him unique.
In 2013, when my ex-husband had another fit about Daniel’s issues, I was forced to have a diagnosis made. After 6 months of doctor, psychiatrist, and group therapy visits I was given more than I had bargained for. My boy was diagnosed with Autism, extreme learning disabilities, and Social Phobia. Then, in 2020, the proverbial straw landed.
My precious boy spent 15 days in a psychiatric hospital and we began the next chapter of our lives. He was diagnosed with Paranoid Schizophrenia and social anxiety.
That’s when I found out there are NO support groups that offer what I need. So, I began searching and asking, and here I am, after all these years, I’ve found a kindred soul in my fun & feisty friend, Michelle, building that very support group… for you!
