We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cathy Blatnik. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cathy below.
Cathy, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
I get my optimism from actually two different people. The first is my dad. I am the oldest of three (just like my dad) and my dad has always supported everything I have ever done. Anytime I ever doubted myself, he would always put a positive spin on it and encouraged me to do my best, no matter what the situation. After my mom passed away in 2017, the roles were reversed, I became his positive person. I called him every night and we had long chats about everything (life, my kids, what he had for dinner, religion, etc.). I bounced so many ideas about Dominic’s business off of him. He unexpectedly passed away on December 17, 2020, just about three weeks after we did our first order. I was heartbroken and because of COVID, we couldn’t travel back for his funeral. Since he passed so close to Christmas, I didn’t even think about the business until about the middle of January 2021. I definitely thought many times about giving up, but I could hear my dad saying in my head, “keep moving forward,” which I was so glad we did! I miss my dad’s nightly calls, but I know he would be proud that I didn’t give up!! The second person is my husband. We met each other in December 1990 and were married in December 1995. When we had our daughter in 1996, I decided to be a stay-at-home mom. I had always worked, so it was an adjustment for sure! When Dominic was born in 2004, we faced many challenges with him, Autism diagnosed in 2007, Anxiety and ADHD in 2008 and Epilepsy in 2015. My husband has always seen the positive in everything and didn’t let me feel sorry for myself, EVER. Having a child with disabilities, will either make a relationship fall apart or become stronger. One of the very biggest challenges he and I have faced as a couple was when I was diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma Skin Cancer in January 2017. You hear the word cancer and you instantly think you’ll die. We had to wait two weeks from when I had my surgery in March 2017 to see if it had spread. I talked about what would happen to me constantly and his positivity never waivered. Thank goodness it hadn’t spread and I have been cancer free since my surgery!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I actually have two passions that I feel very equally strongly about. My first passion is being on the Board of Directors of the Mid-Michigan Autism Association (MMAA). The MMAA is a non-profit organization founded in 2008. We are all volunteers. When I was asked by a former President of the MMAA in the Summer of 2015 to join the Board, I had HUGE reservations. My “plate” was overflowing with responsibilities, and I really felt like I couldn’t handle one more thing! After discussing it with members of my family and close friends, I decided to do it. I went into it thinking that I could always quit if it was too much, or I didn’t like it. Lo and behold, here it is 8 1/2 years later, and I am still on the Board!!! I am currently the Treasurer, but I have been the President and Secretary. I will be on the Board for the rest of my life! It has given me a HUGE “platform,” to help not just those with Autism, but those with other developmental disabilities. The MMAA is an “autism-driven, but not autism-specific” organization. We welcome those of all ages and abilities. That is something that I feel very strongly about. My second passion is helping with my son’s Michigan Cottage Food Business, Baked Goods By Dominic. My son Dominic is 19 and has Autism, Epilepsy, ADHD and Anxiety Disorder. During the Autism Awareness Trainings, we do for businesses and organizations through the MMAA, I often tell the attendees, it’s not like when Dominic ages out of Special Education at 26, there will be someone standing at our front door offering him a job! We did our first delivery at the end of November of 2020. In December of 2023, we delivered our 500th order!!!!!!!!!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Definitely patience, persistence and respect. In our world today, we want everything right now. I used to be a very impatient person! Having a child like Dominic, who has an Intellectual Disability and severe speech delays, I have learned the “art” of patience. Dominic was over nine years old before he was potty trained. Talk about patience!! I was so frustrated and overwhelmed and had basically given up. We had a teacher at school that worked with him (and my husband and I) and didn’t let us give up and eventually Dominic was potty trained!! Persistence is an important trait to possess. When I take on a new task, I put myself into it 100%. I like to say I’m like a “dog with a bone,” I don’t let go until I see the task through to the end. Through my work as a Board member on the Mid-Michigan Autism Association, I have started new Programs and Events. The first challenge is always finding the right person to talk to. Once you find the right person, then it’s convincing them that what you want to do will benefit them and the third and final is seeing it through to completion, which can take sometimes a year or more!! Repect for others is something that has always been very important to me. When my kids were very little, I taught them to say please and thank you. Many adults were so surprised when my kids would say please and thank you!!! I have organized “Special Needs Masses,” for the Diocese of Lansing since mid-2015. A few years back, we had an older woman in a wheelchair come for the first time and automatically sit in the back of the church. I told her to come to the front. I think she was so used to always being in the back. I wanted her to be front and center!! If someone opens the door for me, I always say thank you. I recently started doing a monthly reception at our church and I didn’t make Decaf coffee (oops). An older gentleman requested I make some, so I did. When the coffee was ready, I took it over to him and said, “here you go sir.” He was so appreciative. Just something as simple as being polite and showing respect, can make a huge difference in someone’s life.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
Definitely encouraging me to finish my college degree. I graduated high school in 1981. I waited until very late in my senior year of high school to apply to colleges. In the Fall of 1981, I went to Eastern Kentucky University. I lasted one semester, because I missed my family so much! My parents didn’t make me feel like a failure, but rather supported my decision to move back home. I started out at the Community College near where I lived in Maryland and then moved on to the University of Maryland. I wanted to be working, so most of the time, I was going on the weekends or at night to college. So many times, I wanted to give up, but my dad would always say, “once you get a college degree, no one can ever take that away from you.” It took me 14 years to get my Bachelor of Science degree, but it was so worth it!!
Contact Info:
- Facebook: Mid Michigan Autism Association Baked Goods By Dominic
- Other: Personal e-mail: [email protected] Business e-mail – [email protected]
