OUR MISSION

Deji was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. He grew up in our loving home, the second born of four children. Our mother owned a pharmacy, in which as children and young teens, we loved to volunteer and participate in various ways. As a family, we had the opportunity to travel with our parents as they attended conferences, and business trips thus exposing us to life outside of the country. Our parents thought it best to move to the United States to optimize our educational opportunities and Deji pioneered this move, enrolling in the pharmacy program at Northwestern University in Boston, Massachusetts. We all soon followed suit, eventually settling in Boston. 

Deji completed his 4-year pharmacy program at Northwestern, however, was not permitted to graduate with his class. Despite the desperate pleas from our mother, the foreign affairs coordinator insisted that he was not fit to be a pharmacist and suggested instead that he transfer to toxicology, which would necessitate starting his university career all over again.  As always, unrelenting, our mother researched encouraged Deji to enroll in various programs. 

After moving to the Midwest and with the immense support of his brother, he was able to obtain his LPN. He assumed the role of the nurse supervisor at our mother’s home care agency, which she established in Illinois; a role he would continue for 15 years. 

Our mom was always so proud that he was able to surmount the obstacles he faced trying to establish a career and independent life. She knew that the problems he faced with the foreign student affairs coordinator was not necessarily due to his academic performance, it was due to his unique personality which made her feel uncomfortable and unable to really understand him. This was not the first and last of such situations. Deji’s path in life was fraught with immense challenges and difficulties. Growing up, Deji always seemed different. Our mom, Victoria noted how different he was to his older brother, and the difference in his personality became even more obvious months after the birth of his younger brother.

Our mom noted that he was often over stimulated by certain sensory stimuli, and with any change to routine. He would scream and cry inconsolably, appearing overwhelmed at what would appear to be normal social situations. Academically, he struggled to keep up with his peers to the frustration of both himself, and authority figures, though he always managed to meet his academic requirements. There was no name for his peculiarities back then that was ever offered or at least was commonly known. There were certainly no programs or services offered to people like him to provide him or our family with much needed support. 

Often times, the way he expressed himself was misinterpreted and certainly mislabeled as non conforming, stubborn, defiant or slow. He was too frequently misunderstood, too often frustrated and had a very difficult time expressing his emotions. Deji did in fact posses incredible gifting. His long term memory of details was unrivaled. He enjoyed music and he enjoyed being in nature, often opting to go on long walks in quiet solitude. He was astonishingly kind and selfless especially and surprisingly when it was unreciprocated. He would offer help to stranded strangers, offer help to those in financial need, often to his own detriment. In every work setting he was in, he was incredibly helpful to his colleagues. As the nursing supervisor at the family home care agency, he would routinely provide rides to caregivers when they had no means of transportation to get to and from work. 

While his gifting were often overshadowed by his seeming peculiarities, our mother above all believed so strongly in him, choosing to focus on his strengths rather that his weaknesses. Because of her tireless support and despite the many challenges he faced, he was still able to attend college, make meaningful friendships and live a productive life playing a pivotal role in our mother’s small business. The road to his accomplishments, no matter the size, was fraught with so much difficulty that took a heavy toll on his mental and physical health. He passed away suddenly in 2019 of cardiac failure. 

The impact he left on us as his family and on many who have been blessed to be in his life is one that will last in our hearts and minds. His life story is similar to many of those who are on the spectrum, whether diagnosed or not. In the US, 1 in 36 people are estimated to be on the autism spectrum. Due to increasing awareness of the characteristics of this unique condition, more and more resources are becoming available for early detection and intervention aimed ultimately at fostering independence and improving quality of life. Such resources are yet to achieve the same level of predominance in our home country in Nigeria. In the rural areas especially, people on the spectrum are misunderstood to be "crazy" or worse still, "possessed by evil spirits" and are often locked away from society. Resources are scant and even awareness in the medical community is not on the level it should be. 

Our goal is that there will be markedly improved autism awareness in Nigeria and other parts of Africa and a commensurate increase in resources available to children and adults on the spectrum. Support for their families is crucial in fostering a loving and supportive home to boost confidence increase independence. We believe that all people on the spectrum are entitled to have the freedom to not just exist, but to thrive, enjoying love, joy, success and independence.