The Westra Family Story

Our journey through the world of Autism started when we received the diagnosis for our daughter Gabbi at the age of four. For many years we suffered, living in a place of worry, anger and fear (which we call the “Red Zone”) because we didn’t understand the diagnosis nor Gabbi’s behaviors, let alone her view of the world. Thus began my personal journey in search of the knowledge, tools, and processes to help “shift” our understanding of Autism. In 2011, I started Artistas Café, a program that provided training and employment for young adults on the Autism Spectrum. This gave me an even greater understanding and appreciation of Autism not only as a trainer and business owner, but more importantly as a mom. The experience working with our employees on the spectrum shifted my perspective and as a result my relationship with Gabbi improved, greatly increasing the well-being of our entire family. Today, I am on a mission to share what I’ve learned to help others in our Autism community who are living in the Red Zone shift to living in the Green Zone. There they can experience more hope, appreciation, joy and unconditional love than they likely have thought possible! As more of us are in this new place of understanding, we can join together to create a new reality for our Autism Community”