I was born with one finger on each hand, shortened forearms, and one toe on each misshapen foot, caused by a genetic condition called ectrodactyly. I passed my condition on to my two sons, and, along with my husband, raise them and our daughter.
Aside from being a graduate of the University of Wisconsin−Madison, New York University School of Law, and the U.S. Head of anti−money laundering and financial crime at the Royal Bank of Canada, I am the founder and president of Don’t Hide It, Flaunt It (DHIFI Inc.), a 501(c)(3) national nonprofit.
More than a decade ago, I started DHIFI Inc., with the mission of advancing understanding and mutual respect for people’s differences, after our oldest son, Ethan, was bullied on the playground in elementary school. Afterwards, the principal invited me to come speak to her teachers, school nurse and guidance counselors about how to help them support our son at school.
As much as I was grateful for the opportunity to empower kids like mine, I longed to guide the faculty to help their students realize that we all have visible and invisible differences. To me, learning to unconditionally accept themselves and to empathize with one another was key to empowering the kids while creating an inclusive environment in the classroom and beyond. My goal was therefore simple: Help them to unite not despite but even because of their differences and come to celebrate them together.
I wrote Born Extraordinary, my labor of love, to offer my personal nuggets of wisdom (and mistakes!) as well as share stories and words of wisdom from many other parents also raising children with differences and disabilities.
