Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Cristina Pocta. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Cristina, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
This is such a profound question. I believe that I’ve come to discover my purpose as I’ve learned to heal through trauma and suffering.
To begin with, I’m an immigrant (born in Dominican Republic) that moved to New York City in the late 1980s at the age of 2. My father is from Puerto Rico and my mother is from the Dominican Republic. They met each other while my father was studying medicine in the Dominican Republic….and the rest is history!
As I reflect on my childhood, growing up in New York City in the 80s/90s was difficult for any child! Added to that was the fact that we were a “Domini-Rican” family in the middle of a melting pot (Lower East Side of Manhattan). And so, I was raised in between government projects and high-scale co-op apartment buildings….surrounded by an established community of Orthodox Jews and immigrant communities of other Hispanics, Chinese, Italians, Middle Eastern, etc. And while my parents did their best in this new environment, I have to admit that the streets raised me, too. With that came a lot of suffering…which left deeply-rooted wounds and insecurities….but it was that same suffering that left a desire in me, to serve and accompany others in their same suffering.
After graduating college with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services, I made a radical decision to leave everything behind and serve as a volunteer/missionary in Central America. It was through that experience and mutual friends that I came to meet my husband, Andrew.
As a newly-wed couple, we were on top of the world and were ready to welcome our first baby, Maria. Life threw us a curveball and we discovered early on in the pregnancy that she was diagnosed with a disability called SPINA BIFIDA. Reality hit hard as the doctors came in and out of the examination room informing us our baby girl would never walk and that her life would be complicated. Together, we embraced her and set our minds on giving her the best life possible, full of love and opportunity.
Following plenty of genetic tests, we were encouraged to try for another when our baby girl was older…..and so we were excited to welcome our son into the world. Life seemed to throw another unexpected curveball as we found out he also had SPINA BIFIDA. In the midst of the excitement about having a son, I couldn’t help but feel as though I was somehow being punished for past mistakes in life…..I truly believed that I had lived my life, trying my hardest to do right and to care for others……so how could this happen to us? How could this happen to my babies?
Now, to the present day. As I look at them and reflect on the years of physical and emotional suffering…..I can’t deny all of the things that these two children have taught us. But, the greatest thing they’ve taught is the courage to HEAL from our traumas and suffering…..and in the midst of that, to focus our sights on helping one another, most especially those that are the most “unseen”.
It’s through the life of my children that our story seemed to make sense and come together for a greater purpose, and through that, I was inspired to create our nonprofit, SEEN.
SEEN journeys with those who are often (and unintentionally) unseen…..specifically people suffering from cancer, people who are physically and/or mentally disabled….and SEEN doesn’t forget their caretakers and family members, as they are also often forgotten and neglected. SEEN seeks to alleviate the burdens and difficulties of life to those families by providing a customized, no-headache vacation experience, ensuring that all of the details are coordinated in a way that allows them to experience true rest, healing and create a lifetime of family memories. To accomplish that, SEEN plans and coordinates all logistics (transportation, accessible housing, medical considerations, meals, leisure, adventure experiences, etc.) so that they are customized to each unique family’s needs. SEEN also accompanies families and their journeys, by opening doors of hope and freedom within their homes, through custom accessibility projects (home modifications) in order to provide relief to physical needs. Since “it takes a village”, SEEN partners with local volunteers and businesses to make the vision a reality and transform the community. This includes hosting community events that spread awareness to the needs and difficulties of families suffering from cancer and disability.
SEEN believes that nothing is stronger than the power of community and relationships, when we walk together!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
As a mother of three children (two who are disabled and one adopted), I’ve spent the past 10+ years focused on their needs and upbringing. As I wrestled with making sense of my story and experiences, as well as the purpose behind all of my family’s struggles…something deep within me knew that one day it would have a meaning purpose. Over the past year, I’ve poured all of my energy and love into a passion project and nonprofit: SEEN. Together with a close friend (SEEN co-founder) who has also experienced unique and extreme suffering in his life, (the sudden loss of his infant son and then loss of his wife to cancer soon after) we launched SEEN, our nonprofit that unites our unique life stories and provides an opportunity for rest and retreat to those that we’ve come to know as the most “unseen”: people with disabilities and/or terminal cancer (themselves and their families/caregivers).
Although we’re based out of Virginia Beach, Virginia, SEEN will accompany families as they discover rest and warmth on the island of Puerto Rico. One of the last gifts that SEEN’s co-founder was given before his wife tragically passed away was an inclusive family vacation (ALL expenses and details paid for and covered) where he and his children were able to create their last memories of their mother. Based on that experience, SEEN provides the same “headache-free” getaway to families that would normally find travelling or vacationing to be a difficult task. SEEN accomplishes this by partnering with local businesses and volunteers to provide the ideal getaway….with all details completely taken care of…..from medical resources to housing, opportunities for beach access and accessible adventures, to local restaurants and dining experiences! Additionally, SEEN seeks to accompany families in small-scale home accessibility projects to alleviate the suffering of people who are often forgotten.
SEEN truly takes the suffering of so many and transforms it into an opportunity for service and unity. As they say, “it takes a village”, and so SEEN exists to create community in order to help the forgotten authentically feel SEEN.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I believe the key themes that have been the most impactful in my journey have been the power of self-healing, self-care and maintaining perspective on life. I’ve learned that finding oneself can only happen by healing the parts of us that are most difficult to face….and then learning to see ourselves with a new lens!
I believe that if we, as a society, were better at seeking a healthy perspective (on how we see our own selves, our friends and family and the world around us) that was infused with optimism and gratitude, we’d all have a better sense of peace and joy. Through that authentic peace and joy, we can change the world!
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
Based on my story – my childhood experiences and traumas, identity as an immigrant and minority woman in this country, and motherhood of two children with disabilities – I’ve dealt with so much disappointment and discouragement. So, the greatest challenge I face is fear…..fear of failure and fear of disappointment. The world we live in (even though we’ve come a long way!) was simply not made for people with disabilities….so I’m required to have a loud, strong voice that advocate for the disabled community’s rights…..and that means overcoming deeply rooted fears and insecurities that I carry with me!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://seen757.org
- Instagram: seen_757
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