Meet Carlos

Carlos was a social worker living in Florida three years ago when he became ill with a spinal infection. His doctors gave him no hope to live and sent him home to die. A brother, who lives in Indianapolis, flew Carlos here so he could attend to him. Carlos was admitted to the hospital, and six surgeries later, was left a quadriplegic. Read more.

Meet Elizabeth

“I’m paralyzed, aren’t I?” Elizabeth was lying on the ground looking at the paramedics standing over her. A car had run a red light, t-boning her Chevy Blazer, which then rolled seven times. On the last roll, Elizabeth was thrown out the driver-side window and pinned underneath her car. Read more.

Meet Shailyn and Kaitlyn

Shailyn and Kaitlyn are 9-year-old twins who love “girlie stuff”—makeup, clothes, shopping, anything pink. They enjoy music, particularly Hannah Montana and Katy Perry. And they enjoy being outdoors, riding on the back of their dad’s golf cart, outfitted especially for them. The girls were born with Cerebral Palsy and developmental disabilities. Read more.

Meet Ryder

At five months of age, Ryder came home from the hospital for the first time and became CICOA’s youngest client. Now one year old, he has endeared himself to all who know him. Ryder was born with an extremely rare neurological disorder known as Möbius syndrome. On average, two to 20 people in a million will be born with the syndrome, which is characterized by facial paralysis, an inability to close one’s eyes and abnormalities of the limbs and chest. Read more.

Meet Stephen

Stephen, 62, once held a successful career in commercial real estate with Marsh Supermarkets. He enjoyed travel, history, architecture, anything in the Country French style, and music. All that changed in September 2007 while riding a bicycle through a golf course at dusk. A construction crew had cut a gaping hole across the path, and when Stephen hit it without warning, he flew headfirst over the handlebars, broke his neck, and suffered traumatic brain injury. Read more.

Meet Willa

Born in 1906, Willa, 105, is CICOA’s oldest client. The granddaughter of a freed slave, Willa was taught from her earliest childhood to honor the memory and sacrifice of her ancestors by leading a life of service. Willa lived independently until age 102, when she moved to Indianapolis to live with her granddaughter.  She is suffering from dementia and needs assistance with many activities of daily living. Read more.