Isaiah Daniel Rivera Hernandez

There are some souls who are only with us for a short time, yet leave enough love to last a lifetime. Isaiah was one of those rare souls. For the past three and a half years, I had the incredible privilege of walking beside him, learning far more from him than I could have ever taught him. I’ll smile every time I remember hearing my name echoed over and over from his AAC device, pressing it a hundred times just to make sure he had my attention, or when I think of him quietly looking out the window in my office, which was his favorite thing to do. It was one of the many little ways he reminded me that connection doesn’t always need words—it simply needs love. Isaiah wasn’t just my client—he became family. He was woven into the heart of our ACT family, and his love, innocence, and quiet way of bringing people together changed us forever. Though our hearts are broken by his absence, I find comfort in believing that somewhere there is a beautiful window waiting just for him, where he can watch the world with the same wonder that taught all of us to slow down and see it, too. We will carry his light, his laughter, and his memory with us always.