Biography:

Andrea Leon was born in Mexico, but grew up in the East Bay of California. As an adult, Andrea moved to New Mexico, and in January of 2003 her daughter, Angeles, was born. At the age of 1, Angeles was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. During the time her daughter spent in the hospital Andrea was connected to another parent who was going through a similar situation - that parent became a valuable resource and support who then introduced her to Parents Reaching Out.

Andrea is currently the Program Manager for DreamCatchers and the Family to Family Health Information Center. She has been working for Parents Reaching Out since 2004.

Andrea enjoys supporting families by giving them tools and information to accomplish their dreams. She also loves spending time with her family and watching football – GO RAIDERS!

Biography:

Denise has been with Parents Reaching Out since August of 2005. She first connected with the Family to Family Health Information Center at PRO and is currently working with families of newborns at as a family Liaison in the NICU at University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH/NICU). She has a son born with Spina Bifida who is an amazing boy that she has learns so much from each day. She enjoys the time they spend with each other. Together, they love to go to the movies, out to eat, play wheel chair basketball, and go camping in the summer with family and friends.

Biography:

Erica Candelaria has been working with Parents Reaching Out (PRO) since April 2009. She is currently a member of the Parent Support Group for Down Syndrome in Valencia County. Erica has also recently become a board member for La Vidia Felicidad. With her personal experience, Erica has become a firm believer and advocate for people with special needs. These passions led her to Parents Reaching Out to begin a rewarding career, which allows her to help families advocate for their children to receive the highest quality of education.

She has two wonderful children-- Isaiah who is 6 and her angel, Alyssa, who is 3. Being a mother to Isaiah could never have prepared her for what was to come with Alyssa. Erica was blessed with her little girl, Alyssa, who was born with Down Syndrome. Alyssa has given Erica a new perspective on life and taught her many valuable lessons. She was unaware and scared of the challenges in front of her in having a child with special needs. With family support and loads of information on Down Syndrome, she was able to overcome any doubts in raising Alyssa. With inspiration from her daughter she will forever be an advocate for people with special needs.