Such a special friend we have in Ceci. She touched the hearts of many.
Her words and laughter still echo in our halls. All of God’s Gifts and Mysteries
embodied in this one woman. Praise be the Lord.
I met Ceci five years ago when getting to know the center with my son.
She was outgoing and friendly. She made us feel welcome and
reduced some of the enormous anxiety we felt upon entering this strange
environment with suffering and beauty abounding. Cecilia, Pascual, Lucas and
Mohamed reached out to us. They touched our hearts in ways that we could not
predict. One year later, almost to the day, we showed up at the door of the
center and launched Cadanino Ministries. Ceci was one of our very first friends
and her relatively high functioning communications and experience helped us
break into the center in meaningful and productive ways.
Cecilia was approximately 50 years old when she died last week. Her age, like so
many here, was indeterminate because of a lack of records. Can you imagine
not knowing your Birthday much less not even knowing the year of your birth?
We recently invented a birthday for her and celebrated one Saturday. A teacher
found a beautiful blue dress that Ceci wore and she was radiant.
Any field trips with Ceci were always surprised by the number of special ed teachers and
administrators that she knew. Suddenly the shout would go out, “Hola Mia Mama!” and she
would rush to the side of a woman that the rest of us did not know. Her friends were always thrilled to see her. She lived in our center almost 20 years, but had been bounced around from
orphanage to foster care for years before that. There are also some sordid storries and legends about time she lived on the streets. Many of the educators that knew her had worked for a time at the center. There is very high employee turnover here.
When asked her age, she would always throw out a number. “I am eleven” or “I am 14.”
I always wondered if she had been trained to remember a number less than 18 which is the
age of majority here and the theoretical age that a resident should graduate from the Home.
Unfortunately, there are no options for adults with these types of handicaps and thus more than
half the population are adults.
She could pray. How she could pray so very well: never a dry eye in the house after one of her prayers. She knew how to pray from the heart and use free form spontaneous relevant
messages. At the Center there are three levels of intellectual incapacities: Low, Moderate and High (Bajo, Moderado y Alto). Ceci was in the highest functioning category. She made guest and newcomers feel welcome and always had a smile and a hug. She had lived in faith based orphanages and learned to love the Lord and pray with fervor.
A notorious hoarder of stuffed animals, she had dolls and stuffed animals hidden around the center. She would often foist part of her stash on an unsuspecting new employee; asking them to guard a few dolls in their lockers for safe keeping. There was a bit of larceny in her strategy.
Frequently the ownership of the dolls and stuffed animals was in dispute. Though she was fast to complain about being hit or mistreated by another resident, one could observe her paying back her nemesis when she thought the adults weren’t watching. Mostly quite amusing, but at times discouraging. The truth of long term institutionalization is fairly grim. Aggression and poor conduct become a way of life for these kids. Cadanino Ministry works to assist the Government employees in combatting this effect, but it remains a challenge.
Recently, Ceci had become the assistant to one of our new Nurses- Aides, Marie Eugenie. Marie Eugenia works with four of the most vulnerable and complicated children at the center.
Cecelia spent her days helping by running errands, opening the gate with a key and keeping
an eye on the other children during breaks. Ceci called Maria Eugenia, “Canche” which is an endearing nickname for a fair haired and fair skinned person. Maria Eugenia was a wonderful mentor and role model for Cecilia.
There are around three hundred photos of Cecilia. After Luis died in 2010, I resolved to photograph and know all the kids better. We had around 30 photos of Luis, but could have easily had many more. The Government gives these kids a nice burial and seven years in a Mausoleum at the Municipal Cemetery. After the seven years, the family needs to take the bones or they are somehow disposed of. For those with nobody to claim or transfer their remains, they are removed and disposed. One of our dreams is to buy a plot of land in the country and give these abandoned blessed children a permanent resting place.
Gone, but not forgotten. Ceci we love you.
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