TGH Exclusive: Mother behind ‘My Life With Yianni’ shares inspirational journey in new book

·

The Facebook page ‘My life with Yianni’, translated to English from ‘Η ζωή μου με τον Γιάννη’, presents stories from the life of a mother, Ada Stamatatou, with her adult autistic son Yianni.

Talking exclusively with The Greek Herald, Ada shares her surprising reaction to the incredible growth of her Facebook page, her role in the global autism community, as well as discussing her newly written book on her life.

How Yianni’s story began

Ada’s inspiration for sharing her daily interactions with Yianni arose from a disturbing video she witnessed almost 3 years ago.

The video depicted a young adult in a playground who was presenting slightly awkward and compulsive behaviour towards younger children. In the video, the women was yelling at him to leave, calling him a pervert.

“I recognised immediately that this young man was an autistic man,” Ada says.

Αυτό είναι ένα λεπτό από τη ζωή μου με τον Γιάννη.Σε πολλούς μπορεί να φαίνεται τολμηρό,σε άλλους απίστευτο..όμως έτσι…

Posted by Η ζωή μου με τον Γιάννη on Monday, 30 March 2020

Ada came to realise that the reason that Greek people were lacking in recognising autistic behaviour was because not many Greeks had ever seen an autistic adult on the streets.

This led to the start of ‘Η ζωή μου με τον Γιάννη’, a Facebook page where she shares weekly updates of Yianni’s struggles as he moves through life with autism.

Read More: ‘Little Maximos’ clears sea of jellyfish to help Greek autistic boy swim without difficulty

Shocked at the overwhelming amount of support received when she began, Ada was thankful that so many people looked forward to seeing their journey.

“I realised that sad news has a bigger impact on people than good news! People need to see someones sad story to feel better for themselves unfortunately… But people also need to see a hero story.”

Ο Γιάννης ανήμερα της γιορτής του ταξίδεψε για τη μακρινή Σιγκαπούρη.Στη φωτογραφία κρατάει το χέρι του πατέρα του στο…

Posted by Η ζωή μου με τον Γιάννη on Tuesday, 7 January 2020

Ada shares that her and Yianni’s story is not a sad one, and she is not a hero mother.

“This is my family. My truth. And they are others like us everywhere on the planet. We live among you.”

From Facebook to a published book

Ada recently revealed that she has been writing a book of her life, taking families back to the beginning of Yianni’s birth; The diagnosis, the shock and the early intervention.

The book spans through the twenty-two year life of Yianni, showing Ada’s activism in raising awareness for autism, running marathons around world, and trying to help schools for autistic children find financial sources. Ada says that her story is one that many families will find familiar, and it is important to spread autism awareness to the global population.

“The book ends on the days of COVID-19 and the global lockdown. How the strict measures affected the autistic people,” Ada says.

Ada Stamatatou has run many marathons around the world to raise money for Autism Awareness. Photo: Η ζωή μου με τον Γιάννη Facebook.

Speaking of the upcoming launch of her book, Ada was shocked to find out that she had such a large audience in Australia.

“I did indeed asked my publisher to translate it in English for all of you. And for all the Greek people who live all over the world.

“After all… autism has no borders. No country. We must be united in this.”

People can expect the book to appear on the shelves in the beginning of June, yet Ada says she is trying to be optimistic during this COVID-19 period of time.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

European Parliament backs resolution to protect Christian minorities in Syria

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution by overwhelming majority calling for the protection of Christian minorities in Syria.

Konstantinos Argiros delivers emotional first-ever performance in Constantinople

One of Greece’s top pop stars, Konstantinos Argiros, performed in Turkey for the first time on July 10, delivering a sold-out concert.

Survivors pulled from Red Sea two days after Houthi strike on Greek cargo vessel

Four more survivors from the Greek-operated cargo ship Eternity C have been rescued from the Red Sea nearly 48 hours after the vessel sunk.

Migration Minister defends asylum suspension as necessary to protect Greece’s borders

Greece has defended an amendment which would temporarily suspend asylum for individuals arriving illegally by sea from North Africa.

Meet the Greek Australian doctor fighting to save Indigenous children’s lives

Professor John Carapetis, renowned paediatrician and infectious disease expert, hopes to close the health gap for Indigenous children.

You May Also Like

GCM holds celebration of Greek dance with renowned instructor Andreas Papadopoulos

On Friday, May 2, the schools of the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) had the honour and pleasure of hosting Andreas Papadopoulos.

How a pharmacist recreated Easter on Corfu island with playmobile

What urges a pharmacist from Corfu to represent the island's Easter with a playmobile without any commercial purpose?

Turkey extends illegal NAVTEX for gas exploration near Kastellorizo

Turkey has announced a four-day extension of its illegal NAVTEX for gas exploration inside Greece’s continental shelf, according to ANA-MPA.