This is the Vamo podcast with Marty Solomon. I'm his co-host, Brent Billings. Today we are joined by special guest, Eugenia Ortega.

She was born in Mexico, has spent time in Chile and Washington, DC, and now finds herself in San Diego. She and her husband have been married for 30 years, and Christians for almost as long, and they have four children. So Eugenia, welcome.

Hello, Marty and Brent. Thank you so much for having me in your podcast. I appreciate it so much. I have four children, like you said, and my youngest is Dante. He's 19 years old now, and he has severe autism.

This is the reason why I wrote the book. I look into our window, and why we are here today talking. It has been a great experience, a painful experience.

I've never imagined an experience that I never imagined, and I want my heart to share with everyone out there. So you get a glimpse of what it is to live with autism, to live with special needs.

And for all who are suffering right now, who may be going through hard times, just to let them know that there are not alone, and that there is hope.

Well, we do love hope here on the Bama podcast. I'm kind of curious how you came to know Marty or find out about Bama or whatever. So I don't know if you want to give a little bit of background on your side, and then maybe Marty can try him in and say, you know, how he knows you as well.

So a few years ago, not too long ago, a friend from church talked to me about Bama, and then another friend. It wasn't about the third friend probably when I started listening, and I started listening in the present, you know, episode.

I remember exactly which episode it was, but right in the beginning, one of you said, if this is the first time you're listening to Bama podcast, go back to the first episode. And that's exactly what I did. I started episode zero.

And I was hooked. I've been stalled away to, you know, from Genesis to Revelation. I think it was the end of episode four or something like that. And I was blown away.

Like you said, I've been a Christian for almost 30 years, yet I only, you know, knew God in the scriptures from the surface. I had no idea the depth. And you know, all of that that I didn't know, and I appreciate you so much for that.

I learned so much. I have gotten to know God so much better. One of the things that you said in episode zero was the goal is to understand the Bible and to apply the Bible to who I am. And that's, that's what I want to do.

And I have grown so much sense. And this is how I know Marty and hopefully soon will get to meet each other in person here in San Diego.

Sounds like our paths may be crossing. And I do love one of my favorite parts of her story, Brent, is she followed instructions. We said, go back and start. And she said, that's what I did. And what a perfect listener.

I can remember, man, I can remember the very first time that we kind of interacted. I think we probably have exchanged an email or two, you genia, I think on Facebook, we had.

You had sent me some messages because I knew kind of about your situation. You had introduced me to Dante. You had sent me a photo or two.

Yes, I did. So I kind of like knew of you. And then this book showed up in my mailbox. And I got to read and, and really, like, just to be clear about what your book is, it's not really like this in depth book about autism.

It's not a self-help book. It is really part memoir part. I almost felt like part diary. Like I'm reading these daily entries and reflections of what it's like to live in a day in your experience.

And most of those days, all of those days, I think that I read about in that shared diary of sorts, what word had had difficult moments that there are beautiful moments too, but I think every day was difficult.

Yes, you're right. It is kind of like a diary and snapshots, little stories of experiences that we've had with Dante since, you know, he was diagnosed basically until now.

And it is, what I hear is more of the hard times, the painful times. And I feel bad because Dante is a wonderful person. He is one teacher said of him that he's like a gentle giant.

He has a great personality. He's laughter, just his contagious. He's a wonderful person, but yet he's trapped within. And he struggles just lack of sleep and his lack of communication.

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