As the owner of Hearts & Hands of Care, I would like to share my inspiration for wanting to help others. To those who don’t know me, this is my story.
In loving memory of Kadijah Alexander
1/5/1994-6/7/2019
At the age of 16, I became pregnant with my daughter Kadijah, who was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck twice, causing severe brain damage, “which in the end was the cause of her cerebral palsy”. Kadijah, unfortunately, passed away on June 7th, 2019, she was 25 years old. Kadijah faced many obstacles in life but through everything one thing was for sure Kadijah always had a smile on her face and a laugh that would just tickle you.
I have learned many important lessons in my 25 years with Kadijah–the most important one being patience. For a young mother whose motivation was to accomplish any task the first time and not waiting a minute over, this was my greatest challenge. My second obstacle was acceptance for things we are truly powerless to change. Until Kadijah came along, I did not believe I would ever know the true meaning of “powerless.” To watch her, unable to talk or walk, is to ultimately know what it is to be powerless.
I am eternally grateful for the gift of life and the many lessons, she has brought to my life.
To all of you, this is simply a little piece of me. All the best and thanks for reading.
Kisha Rodriguez
CEO, Hearts & Hands of Care, Inc.
The Kadijah Mini Grant
The Kadijah Mini Grant assists children, seniors and adults with complex medical conditions and developmental disabilities. This grant provides short term support for families in crisis, supports and assists them in advocating for their family. We require individuals to be eligible for Alaska Medicaid and have the ability to direct their own care or have a legal representative to assist them.
Some of these services include:
- Housing (rent, electric and gas bills)
- Food
- Medical Services (prescription medicine)
- Emergency Travel
- Essential items that will directly improve their quality of life and increase their independent functioning.
- Medical, dental, vision, hearing, supplies, therapeutic devices, adaptive equipment, and accessibility improvements.
- No other funding source is available to item or service. No existing bills.