Mary Anne Kane Breschi

President

Professional Experience

Mary Anne has ten years of professional experience in the field of developmental disabilities and children with special health care needs. Formerly the Regional Resource Development Coordinator for the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Office for Genetics and Children with Special Health Care Needs (OGCSHCN), she collaborated with local health departments to develop their resource directories, provide nursing case management, and funding for respite services. In addition, she worked with the Children’s National Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Kennedy Krieger Institute and the University of Maryland’s Hospital for Children to hire a Special Needs Liaison, in each facility, to assist families in navigating their individual medical systems and community resources. Mary Anne developed a local and statewide resource directory, and assisted numerous families through the “Children’s Resource Line” to obtain the information, services and funding they needed to care for their child or young adult. She also represented the OGCSHCN on the MD Developmental Disability Council, the Governors Caregiver Support Coordinating Council, MD Respite Care Coalition Work Group, and the Taskforce on Inclusive Child Care and After-School Care.

Prior to the OGCSHCN, Mary Anne was employed as a Service Coordinator with the ARC of Frederick County, and was the Coordinator of Individual and Support Services and Admissions at Gallagher Services, a program of Associated Catholic Charities.

Personal Experience

Mary Anne and her husband Michael have four children. (Terry -22, Sam – 21, Louis- 18 and Maggie – 16). Maggie, thier youngest, is a bright, beautiful young lady, who has Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation, a Seizure Disorder, Scoliosis, and Osteoporosis. She is non-ambulatory, non-verbal, is fed via a G-tube, and uses augmentative communication devices, signs and vocalizations to communicate.

Maggie loves her life! She cares about with whom and how she spends her time. She plays soccer, bowls, rides horses, has pajama parties, travels, adores her friends, loves bonfires, loves her family, goes to camp, goes to the mall, listens to music, and one day wants to live in her own home with her friends.

Maggie’s life is full, but a lot goes into making this so. She requires complete care including; dressing, bathing, and eating etc… Until about a year ago she didn’t sleep through the night. Therefore, Mary Anne and Michael have been in the “infancy stage,” (remember when your children were infants?) for the last 22 years beginning with their oldest son Terry. In addition, Maggie had 4 major surgeries between Jan 04 and Aug 07, one of which left her on life support for a week and a half, while the others required extensive rehabilitation that lasted for 6 -12 months.

Fortunately, Maggie receives funding through the MD Developmental Disability Administration (the New Directions Waiver), which pays for ongoing in-home support services (staff), some home modifications, and respite care. The Breschis employ college and graduate students studying in related fields such as Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Pre-Med, Special Ed etc… to work with and support Maggie. They assist with with her personal needs, administer meds, monitor her tube feeding andjust hang out listening to music, playing games, and going to the mall. These students have enriched the lives of the entire Breschi family and in turn have gained valuable field related experience. Without them Maggie wouldn’t have the opportunity to connect with her peers and experience typical teenage life. Without them Mary Anne wouldn’t be able to work,and the quality of Maggie’s life, and that of our entire family, would be diminished significantly.

Maggie goes to respite two weekends a month. She loves being with her friends and getting away from her parents. It’s an opportunity for new experiences and the chance to develop new skills. It also provides Mary Ane Michael with a much neded break.

The most difficult time for the Breschis was when Maggie was young. They felt isolated in every aspect of their lives because they didn’t have the support they needed. They didn’t have the extra hands, nor the sleep they needed, and nobody really understood what they were going through. Things are different now. They have the help they need to support Maggie in such a way that her life is full and meaningful. They have literally gone from being a family that was barely surviving to one that is thriving, and that’s what Maggie’s Light is all about.

We want families to thrive! We want to help them get what they need, because it means absolutely everything – to the child and to the entire family!