I am sitting outside on this absolutely gorgeous Saturday afternoon and feeling the sunshine just pour into my body, mind and heart in a way that I really haven’t authentically felt for quite some time now. I want to say thank you to everyone who took fifteen minutes out of their day to watch the beautiful PBS North Carolina video that our dear friend Matthew Chenet put together last fall and to raise a toast to all of you who felt led to comment, text, email, and in a few cases, call me to let me know how Raimee’s story impacted you. To say I feel incredibly blessed is a huge understatement… Your sentiments and encouragement have helped me shake off these past months of apathy and general disappointment in the state of our world, and especially our country, in a way that I’m not sure anything else could have accomplished so profoundly. I am lifted up and encouraged to move on into the days ahead with a lighter and more hopeful sense of being. I also feel compelled to say a few words about our journey that I think are deeply important.
When Raimee came into the world, I was a single parent. I had dropped out of high school, although had my GED by that time, as well as a few years of intermittent attempts at college. I had the support of my family, an eclectic entourage of friends, and a very positive outlook on life thanks to my mother’s DNA which has always led me to default to a certain sense of joy. I also had access to a bounty of publicly funded social services which included WIC (best program ever), SNAP, EBT, and Medicaid. (For those of you who may be unfamiliar with those acronyms or services, they stand for the Women, Infants and Children program- which provides financial assistance for healthy foods for women during pregnancy and beyond, food stamps, financial support, and a form of medical coverage that I believe is arguably the best health insurance available). When Keith and I got married, Raimee was four years old and we lost those benefits, but being motivated and resourceful people with an ability to dedicate time and resources to research, advocacy, and networking, we were able to find ways to get many of his much-needed therapeutic services covered through a multitude of insurance appeals (big shout out to Keith and the MD State’s Attorney General’s Health Advocacy Unit) and a powerhouse group of parents and state representatives in Maryland who worked tirelessly to develop alternative systems within the Medicaid program to support individuals with disabilities. Our salvation arrived in the form of a Medicaid waiver, which waived the parent’s income and looked solely at the income of the individual in need of support (Raimee), to validate access to coverage to therapies not typically provided under a traditional Medicaid plan and to individuals whose families did not meet the income thresholds to qualify for usual and customary Medicaid assistance. Without this support, I do not know where we would be today, but I can only imagine that the story of Raimee’s life, and his ability to live so fully and happily into all of his days, would be a dramatically different narrative than the one we are currently able to share.
Raimee’s story is one of inherent vulnerability that has also been flush with privilege. I am very, very aware of that truth. I also understand that, because of that privilege, Raimee has relieved the state and the long-term support systems funded by our taxpayers of some of the extraordinary expenses that come alongside the poor physical and mental health outcomes that are associated with housing insecurity, food insecurity, and all of the other intrinsically connected social determinants of health that can contribute to a person’s need for more intensive services and supports for the duration of their lifetime.
I worry about the way our country defines expense with language that only acknowledges dollars and cents, and disregards quality of life and community cohesiveness, compassion and a moral responsibility to humanity. I lose sleep at night worrying about Raimee’s future and the future of his friends whose very existence is not only dependent on the support of public aid, but also on public perception of their value.
Raimee has been given extraordinary opportunities that have profoundly shaped not only how he sees himself but also how the world sees him—something made even more evident by the response to the PBS documentary. His success is, without question, a reflection of his hard work, intelligence, resilience, and kindness. But just as importantly, it is a testament to the power of having the right supports in place—the structures, resources, and services that allowed him to fully step into his potential.
And that is what every person deserves: the opportunity to thrive, not just survive. The ability to contribute, to feel valued, to build a life of purpose should not be a privilege reserved for the few, but a fundamental right ensured for all. True progress as a society isn’t measured solely in economic terms, but in how we uplift one another, ensuring that every individual—regardless of their challenges—has access to the supports they need to become the best version of themselves.
We are better together, and we are better when we recognize the worth and potential in every person. When we choose inclusion over exclusion, support over neglect, and opportunity over limitation, we create a world where everyone has the chance to flourish.
Thank you for reading, for seeing the value in this work, and for standing with us as we strive to build a more compassionate and equitable community. Your support means everything—to Raimee, to our farm, and to the countless others who deserve the chance to blossom