I raised a child with complex medical needs. I am now helping that child raise her own child with complex medical needs. It’s a difficult job when the very system that is supposed to provide their medical care works against them instead. Our health care system needs families to be directly involved. Family-focused care often develops from family-initiated momentum. The interface between family groups and health care professionals cannot be viewed as either a luxury or an afterthought. This vital interaction improves the system, improves the level and quality of care, and improves the quality of life for both the patient and their family. The FFLN aids this interaction in a unique way that no other organization can.

After becoming a Mom of a medically involved child, I poured myself into helping him and others. For years my sense of connection was not fulfilled and I longed to associate at a deeper level with others sharing a similar mission as my own. Now that I am part of the FFLN, I am a better caregiver to my family and a better provider to the families I serve because I am connected in person and on-line to wise individuals whose passion is akin to my own, advocating for person-centered care in the state of Florida.

The FFLN Summit in 2019 was a wonderful, educational, and satisfying experience! Meeting so many family leaders, doing such inspiring work in their respective communities led to many takeaways. It has enabled me to facilitate the growth of family-professional partnerships in my home country, India. I look forward to many more opportunities to learn from each other, understand different perspectives and insights, to take our work forward.