Living a Life of Advocacy, Music, and Community—And Medicaid Helps Me Keep Thriving

I am Andreas, and I live in Siskiyou County. If you have not heard of Siskiyou County, it is rural and beautiful. What we lack in services, we have community and connection to bridge the gaps. I am now a seventy-year-old man who has lived in a developmental center, family care homes, co-housing, and finally, on my own in an apartment, where I have been living my best life! I am a man with cerebral palsy, known as CP, and a history of epilepsy.

To get to this point, I had to learn at an early age to advocate to inch ahead in my goals to be as independent as possible. I was three years old when my biological mother dropped me off at the Sonoma Developmental Center. This was very common back then. If you are unfamiliar with the history of this center, you can learn more here. You see, I was told from the very start that I was less than and could not be in charge of the destiny of my own life. That could not have been further from the reality of what I knew I would one day accomplish!

Now, could I break free without support? Of course not. Special education services have supported me throughout my educational years. I want to share that I am a proud client of the Far Northern Regional Center, one of twenty-one regional centers in California. Under the umbrella of services and supports, I participate in the Self-Determination Program (SDP) and receive Independent Living Skills (ILS) support.

To tell you a bit more about myself, I am a musician and largely self-taught, playing more than four instruments and teaching lessons along the way. I am active in my community and attend church whenever possible. I am an active board member of People First of California and have served as a board member for the Far Northern Regional Center.

So much of this is possible because of Medicaid dollars. I am getting older, and although I focus daily on doing as much as I can for myself, the reality is that we all need more help as we age. Cuts to Medicaid would significantly upset my life and the lives of so many others. I am happy to share a tiny snapshot of my life with the world as my contributions are meaningful, and like I said, I have a lot of life left to live; I am not done yet!

Share: