SAN ANTONIO – A Fiesta event to help raise awareness and appreciation for children with autism is set to happen Saturday. One mother says finding a village has brought relief and joy to her journey.
This year’s Fiesta 2025 theme is “Fiesta for All.” One of the organizations that benefits from Fiesta fundraising is Any Baby Can of Southwest Texas, which provides services to families whose children have special health care needs.
One of the organization’s big fundraisers is the 21st annual Walk for Autism, an official Fiesta event. It’s scheduled on Saturday, April 26, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Courtney Madany and her family will be attending the walk for the first time this year. Her son was just recently diagnosed with autism last fall.
Madany said she’s looking forward to connecting with other families during the event. She said getting a diagnosis can be overwhelming, scary, and lonely at times.
“I’m holding back tears often because it’s so emotional to wake up every day and you’re like, ‘What child am I going to get today? Is it going to be a tantrum day, or is it going to be a really awesome day where we hit a bunch of milestones we weren’t hitting?’ You just never know,” she said.
Madany tells other families who are waiting for a diagnosis or have recently gotten a diagnosis that it’s going to be OK.
“There’s so many people you’re going to meet that you wouldn’t normally meet but change your life for the better, and it’s incredible,” she said.
Rebecca Coleman, clinical assessment specialist with BlueSprig Autism, said finding a village can make a difference. “I’ve heard a parent with autism — I think they said it really well. They said, ‘This is not too hard, but it is too hard to do alone,’” Coleman said.
Coleman said the community has come a long way in getting educated about autism and celebrating those children.
