I'm from Romania. I was one of the 'iron crib' babies in 1988. I was never held, touched, or played with for the first three years of my life. The only time I was ever out of my crib was when my aunt came to rock and hold the babies. Through the organization my mom and aunt started, the Eastern European Children's Fund, I was able to be adopted by my mom and brought home to my family in Minnesota. I grew up in a family with 14 brothers and sisters, 9 of whom were also adopted. 

Because I wasn't held, touched, or played with for the first three years of my life, I developed a developmental delay that made it hard to do regular sports, as I wasn't included on normal sports teams. 

I started jiu jitsu in November of 2014 when I was 26 years old and earned my blue belt in January of 2017. I'm now training at Spartan Martial Arts. Now I want to go to the Worlds Special Para Jiu Jitsu tournament in Long Beach, CA. The tournament is on October 27th. Funds will go toward training fees, airfare, entry fees, hotel, food, and transportation. 

My mission in life is to bring joy and happiness to those who are broken. I feel I'm called to bring a light to a nation and to share my story on October 27th, 2017.