Ionuţ lives in the village of Zaicani with his mother, father, brother, grandmother, and grandfather, all of whom are a united family. Ionuţi is on the Autism spectrum. The first time he came to the Phoenix Centre he was preoccupied with his inner thoughts. He did not speak a word and preferred to watch TV alone. He was very sensitive and emotional and often shuddered when he could not remain calm. He did not participate with other children during the concerts we put on for families because he was afraid of crowds. His mother told us that he would sit alone at the house all day watching television, even while he was sleeping the television was on. It was the only way for her to get chores done around the house. His mother’s request for us was to have Ionuţi get away from the television and to not fear crowds, and to say a few words so that in his lifetime he would be able to escape the solitude to which he was so attached.
We have seen great results from working with Ionuţi. He recognizes the names of the staff members from the Centre and he has formed the skills to become friends with children. He attends all the events at the Phoenix Centre and the trips organized by Victoria. He no longer simply stares at the television. Ionuţi says a lot of words. He is able to make small sentences. He knows how to arrange shapes by color and size and even paints small pictures. When the children sing and dance, he claps and is overcome with happiness. Ionuţi’s mother says, „We wonder what would have become of our child if Victoria and the Phoenix Centre had not offered help to him.” It truly became his second home.