Nataki Suggs
~ Author ~
Copa: Where are you from?
Nataki: I was born and raised in Washington, DC., and later moved to Prince George's County where I attended public schools in my teens until I graduated from high school. Copa: When did you write your first book and what was the topic?
Nataki: I wrote my first published book on poetry in 2007 and also did a collaboration with a few professional women in 2008 on Domestic Abuse. Copa: You are now in the process of writing your 3rd project. A wonderful book about your experiences in finding ways to successfully finding information to make life better for your son who has Autism. Please share a portion of your touching story with our readers.
Nataki: The new book which I'm presently working on was inspired by my youngest son Josiah, who was diagnosed with the autism spectrum disorder around age two. When I found out it caused me to emotionally spiral downward. It was like every dream a mother has for her child crumbles. Which resulted in me falling into a silent depression. My son Josiah was born healthy, and my pregnancy was normal, although there were many stresses prior to his birth from my prior marriage of ten years. As time went by, and my grief begin to lift through my faith in God, I knew I had to hit the ground running in order to ensure that he received the proper services for his development. I was oblivious to what autism was about, I had to learn all about it. As time went on it began to put a strain on my marriage along with other components which eventually caused the demise. I was pushed into single motherhood which really became difficult because I was a housewife for ten years. This created a hardship for me because I had to start over with very few resources with two boys, one with autism. There are levels of autism, and my son was on the lower spectrum of it which is much more challenging than a high functional child on the spectrum. This really amplified my advocacy for him. I began to attend conferences, fight school systems and reach out to educators in order to find out what he needs in order to thrive. He was able to be placed in a private school paid by the county due to my consistency in which he just graduated from in June 2022 with honors on his level. |
Copa: How was your life before your second son was born?
Nataki: My life before my son was totally different because I only had one son with a husband. The only thing that changed was he helped me to develop, patience, faith, empathy, unconditional love and compassion and still does to this day. Copa: Did you have very much help in the earlier years?
Nataki: I had very little help. People I knew didn't understand my situation nor tried to unfortunately. This is common among families in the autism community which oftentimes leads to silent depression. You wear a face for the public, but you feel helpless as a parent seeing your child be rejected and misunderstood by society. You lose a lot of support, but you gain more from another source. God gave me my son as a gift not a curse and he made no mistake trusting me to care for him. |
Copa: Will this book be a guide to help others who find themselves in a similar situation or to help give you strength and understanding to move forward, or both?
Nataki: It's a complex situation so I will say both.
Nataki: It's a complex situation so I will say both.
Copa: We also understand that you'll be scheduling a speaking schedule and other activities to promote your book, are you excited about it?
Nataki: I was on a ten-year hiatus in order to rebuild my life and care for both my sons. My dedication has been to make sure that my youngest son would be able to thrive and survive if something were to ever happen to me. I've recently resumed back to public speaking in Oct 2022. I'm honored to be able to share my journey with other families in order to educate them as well as inspire them to continue their journey with hope and faith.
Nataki: I was on a ten-year hiatus in order to rebuild my life and care for both my sons. My dedication has been to make sure that my youngest son would be able to thrive and survive if something were to ever happen to me. I've recently resumed back to public speaking in Oct 2022. I'm honored to be able to share my journey with other families in order to educate them as well as inspire them to continue their journey with hope and faith.
Copa: How long do you think it will be to finally complete your latest book?
Nataki: Hopefully, my book should be released by April 1, 2023.
Nataki: Hopefully, my book should be released by April 1, 2023.
Copa: What advice would you give to any mother who finds herself in a similar situation?
Nataki: The best advice I can give a mother, or a father is to connect with those who understand the journey. Keep your faith, take it moment by moment, not day by day because it's unpredictable. Don't be so hard on yourself because it will get better, and you will see the rewards in your child's progress. I'm a living witness and testimony. With faith, sacrifice and diligence you will win!!
Nataki: The best advice I can give a mother, or a father is to connect with those who understand the journey. Keep your faith, take it moment by moment, not day by day because it's unpredictable. Don't be so hard on yourself because it will get better, and you will see the rewards in your child's progress. I'm a living witness and testimony. With faith, sacrifice and diligence you will win!!