Eddie's Big Heart: A Canvas of Second Chances

While Eddie is currently thriving in the Easterseals Adult Day Services program, his journey to adulthood was a challenging one. 

Eddie was born with DiGeorge Syndrome, a genetic condition that occurs when a small portion of chromosome 22 is missing, which led to a congenital heart issue. Doctors told his family he would never walk or talk, but he beat those odds. 

Then at 17 years old, Eddie’s heart was failing and doctors said he needed a heart transplant. Once a heart became available, Eddie underwent the surgery and came out of it on the other side stronger and more resilient than ever.  

_{^{Eddie and his dad in the hospital for his heart transplant}}

With Eddie’s new heart came a new passion. For the first time in his life, Eddie began drawing and exploring his talents as an artist.

“Art has never been in the picture until he had his heart transplant,” said his mom, Sandra. “Just out of the blue he started getting into Disney and Marvel and just started drawing,” added his dad, Alex.  

Since Eddie joined the Easterseals Adult Day Services program in Lancaster, CA, he has dived even deeper into his newfound passion. His Life Skills Coaches noticed he had talent, so during the pandemic, they gave him the opportunity to teach a drawing class to his peers on Easterseals’ online Virtual Community platform.  

“They asked me if I wanted to teach a drawing class, so I said yes and ever since then, it’s been my class from 2020 through now,” said Eddie. “Easterseals is important because they teach you how to use your voice. They teach you how to be more independent and on your own.”  

_{^{Eddie's art depicting him as a superhero}}

Since he started teaching, Eddie’s parents have noticed a major shift in him – he has come out of his shell, he has more joy, and he is socializing with his peers.  

“Easterseals has been such a blessing for our family. It’s brought so much joy in his life, just teaching other people what he knows,” said Sandra. 

“It says a lot about him, it says a lot about his strength. Because he doesn’t even think about himself and what he’s gone through. He wasn’t supposed to make it this far; he wasn’t supposed to walk. They said he wouldn’t hear. They said he wasn’t going to speak. And he’s beat the odds.”  

            _{^{Eddie and his mom}}