RC clothing, in Memory of Rob

Hi, I'm Rob Ciocco's mom, Alice. I want to share Rob's story and hopefully help others in the process.  

My son Rob was born in 1988 on the Main Line, just outside Philadelphia and he was loved before he was even born. He arrived into this world in September, greeted by both sets of loving grandparents and aunts and uncles. His Dad and I were excited about our new family! From the very beginning Rob grew up surrounded by family and friends who showed him lots of love, support and encouragement.   Rob excitedly welcomed his baby sister (1990) and baby brother (1994). 

Rob attended school in a prestigious school district and was immediately a stand-out for two reasons. First, how intelligent and thoughtful he was and second, how hard he struggled to thrive academically and socially. We worked with the school to provide him with the appropriate supports, and worked at home to help him, but despite all of these efforts, Rob continued to struggle.  By the time he was in 8th grade, he had begun to have overwhelming anxiety.  Rob started seeing a well-known local psychiatrist and started therapy. He had additional support in school as well. During high school, Rob turned to substance abuse as a way to self-medicate, but that only made things worse and life became chaotic. He had multiple trips to rehab for substance use disorder.  Rob would experience some short-term success, but it never lasted long, and his mental health continued to suffer. Through it all, Rob always got up, dusted himself off and kept laughing and trying. He had a core group of good friends, long-term girlfriends, and jobs. 

In recent years we began to see Rob heading in a downward spiral.  We tried very hard as a family to offer what support and help we could, but Rob was convinced he could do it on his own. We exhausted every option. Court-ordered psych stays ended with him deciding to fly south, which turned into him heading to California, up to Washington State and back to PA on foot, or by bus, train or hitching a ride. As I look back, it was at this point that Rob became homeless.  He came home hoping we could give him the supplies he needed for his wandering lifestyle. We again begged and pleaded with him to let us help him get settled somewhere with support, but...one day, he just walked off and headed south for warmer weather, with nothing but the clothes on his back. His Father had just grabbed him a backpack and boots, but he was gone. 

A month later, I got the knock on my door, Rob had been struck by a car and killed in Georgia. He was walking along a narrow shoulder of the road in dark clothing, the driver didn't see him until it was too late.

I always assumed the homeless had no one who cared. If I'm honest, I had a lot of assumptions. I was naive. It is so much more complicated. I am convinced that some of our loved ones do not have the required bootstraps to pull themselves up by. I believe we have a long way to go to care for those who can not and do not fit our idea of "normal". Human beings, no matter what, deserve common decency and safety.

Because of Rob, and knowing how deeply he was loved, we would like to honor his memory by using the proceeds of this fundraiser to make and donate reflective clothing to homeless outreach centers in his name.