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Parent to
Parent of New York State
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This page last updated on
July 15, 2008
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Meet Our Capital District Staff
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Michele Juda
Family to Family Coordinator Michele Juda is happy to be contributing to Parent to Parent of NYS in her role as the Upstate Coordinator for New York’s Family to Family Health Care Information and Education Center. The FHIC exists to empower families who are raising children with special health care needs with the resources, support and skills they will need to more effectively advocate for their children and make better health care decisions on their behalf. Although Michele has previously called both Potsdam and Buffalo home, she currently resides in Saratoga County with her husband and their two active and spirited sons. She has a Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Canisius College and has worked in various Social Services positions, the majority of which have involved assisting adult caregivers of aging parents in navigating health care and insurance systems. Motherhood definitely took Michele’s life in directions that she never saw coming. Following an uneventful pregnancy, her oldest son was born 9 weeks prematurely and only after a two hour ambulance ride as the local hospital would not have been able to meet his medical needs. For fifty-two days, Michele stayed out-of-town to be with her son in the NICU while her husband made trips back and forth on the weekends. There were many scares during that period of time (usually on a Sunday night after her husband had left) and both Michele and her husband continue to be grateful for the magnificent recovery their oldest son was able to make. The experience was life altering in many ways, not the least of which is the fact that they decided that rather than give birth to their second child, they would adopt. Michele and her husband became certified foster/adoptive parents with Saratoga County and have been given the most wonderful opportunity to make a difference in the life of a child. Their youngest son, whom they met when he was just shy of two years old, was born 10 weeks prematurely and required 7 months of NICU care. He continues to courageously meet the challenges of ongoing developmental and medical concerns. Michele hesitates to provide a list of diagnoses, because his diagnoses are the least of what defines his wonderful and joyous spirit. Michele has often commented on how many hands and hearts have assisted them in meeting the needs of their youngest son. Raising a child with special health care needs is simply not something that can be done in isolation. Michele welcomes the opportunity to be of assistance to other families who are looking for support, guidance and hope. Michele can be reached at 518-381-4350 and by email at f2fhealthtools@verizon.net
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