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Never give up: How to keep your dreams alive:

This is something I never thought I would get the opportunity to write or even discuss. I have always had a dream to work with special needs children. I started going to college right out of high school. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life and what career path I wanted to get into since I was fifteen.

I went to the University of Las Vegas for one year, thinking I could work specifically with deaf and blind children. Little did I know in order to work with the deaf and blind, which meant I had to learn about all children with disabilities. At nineteen and a freshman, as a school project I had to go to a school for children with disabilities. In 1979, all special needs children went to the same school; these children not yet mainstreamed into regular schools as they are now.

Seeing all the major disabilities of many of the children, I was more than I could handle. I was too immature, and not ready to take on such an undertaking. I let go of my dream, though I never lost the desire to work with special needs children.

I had a successful career in management, and had six boys. All of which kept me extremely busy. I was content, though I still had the need to work with the Special Education program.

At age 42, my boys were teenagers and spending most of their time with their father who lives in California. I moved to San Diego to be closer to them, I am from Las Vegas, NV. I worked at a property management company. I saw an advertisement that San Diego City Schools was testing and hiring for Special Education Technicians (SET). I went and took the test, and passed.

I continued to work at the property management company, the pay for a SET was very low, and it was only 28 hours a week. I loved working with special needs children just as I knew I would. I was the most rewarding job I had ever had.

I was only able to work with special needs children for two years. I began having health problems, and found myself disabled. I was crushed my dream was starting to come true, and my health failed me at age forty-four.

I did nothing but lay in bed for the better half of four years. Feeling isolated, and worthless to the point I started sinking into depression. I had lost all hope of being a contributing member of society. Me being a workaholic all of my life was having a hard time facing the fact that I no longer had a purpose in life. Surrounded with family, they really have no idea how deep my medical problems run, they

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