"I'm sorry, but your baby had a stroke."

Those were the shocking and heartbreaking words we heard the day after our son, Mikey, was born. Those few words completely changed our lives and the dreams we had for our son.

What now?

After learning all we could about pediatric strokes and talking to doctors, therapists, and other families who faced the same unknowns. we understood that it would truly take "a village" to raise our son. He, like so many other children with life-altering conditions, we going to need help from many medical specialists and therapists, as well as intensive educational support.

Fortunately, we identified a tremendous number of resources; however, the information was overwhelming and unorganized. We searched for "the book" with all the answers and services we were seeking, but none existed. We realized that if our family needed this information in an organized format, so did other families. With help from parents who travelled this road before us and after countless hours of research, we created Mikey's Guide, a comprehensive resource book for parents and caregivers. In 2006 Mikey's Place became a 501c3 charitable nonprofit and began providing information, resources and programs for families of children with disabilities.

Over the past 17 years, Mikey's Place has provided Mikey's Guide to thousands of families across the Greater Houston area. We have also awarded over $33,000 in "Camperships" to help families offset the high costs of specialized summer camps, and held our annual "Summer Camp & Resource Fair" connecting families from all over Houston to a variety of service providers and disability-related organizations. Last year our new vocational training and work program, Together, opened. Artisans receive life-long learning, vocational training, social opportunities, and meaningful work in an inclusive supportive environment.

We are so grateful to the Houston community for supporting Mikey's Place!