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In a lot of ways, Chelsea is a typical girl. She likes shopping at the mall, laughing with her friends - and she loves to dance.
But Chelsea struggles with autism and cognitive impairment, so every day presents significant challenges for her.
For 16 years, Chelsea's family worked around the clock to care for her at home. Chelsea didn't eat or sleep regularly, so her mother, Sheila, didn't either.
As she grew, Chelsea became physically aggressive. She'd scream and throw things, punch holes in the walls and bang her head. Sometimes, she'd bolt out the door and run into the street. "It was exhausting. I was always on the move," Sheila says. "I was always thinking 'Where's Chelsea?'"
Sheila realized that Chelsea needed more help than she could provide herself. "But the residential schools we visited had such a horrible, sad feel to them," she explains. "I just couldn't place my child in that kind of setting."
All Sheila wanted was for her daughter to grow and learn - to live as joyfully and independently as possible.
"I wanted to walk in and see happiness," Sheila explains, "and that's exactly what I saw at The Hope Institute. There's pure happiness everywhere."
Read more about Chelsea's Hopeful future...
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