Dining room table is center of life for this Austin family — but it's falling apart

Bridget Grumet, Austin American-Statesman
·4 min read

The kids weren’t shy about it: The family card games are fiercely competitive.

“You didn’t say Uno!” Anayah Lira, 12, declared with glee, pointing to the brightly colored deck.

Her mother, Leslie Romero, smiled and drew two cards while holding her toddler on her lap. Amari babbled happily and slapped his tiny hand on the table.

The dining room table is a center of family life — the gathering spot for meals and games, the station for homework and craft projects — but this furniture set is falling apart.

Some of the screws keep sliding out of the table. The cushions keep popping off the chairs. Romero’s superglue repairs prove to be short-lived, but a new dining room set is the last thing she can afford.

Romero, 33, is a single mom working full-time and raising five kids, including Amari, who has extensive health needs after being born four months prematurely. Romero recently split from her longtime partner, the father of the children.

Her family is part of the Statesman's Season for Caring program, which helps hundreds of families each year through local nonprofit agencies. The Romero family was nominated by Any Baby Can, which helps provide early intervention for kids with medical differences.

Read more:How to help families through the Statesman Season for Caring program

Much of the family’s time and energy go into caring for Amari, who turns 3 in January. He has had a series of operations to correct problems with his feet. He does not yet speak, although he expresses himself through babbling, giggles and cries. He has physical, speech and occupational therapy sessions six times a week.

“His biggest challenge right now is just not being able to walk,” Romero said. “He actually just started crawling.”

The community has responded to the family's story by providing many of the sensory toys Amari needed through the family's Amazon wish list.

Now they need things for the rest of the family.

Read more: Season for Caring, Leslie Romero: Mom dreams her miracle baby will walk and talk

The older kids — daughter Anayah and sons Anthony, 10, and Adrian, 7 — help Romero with Amari and the baby of the family, 1-year-old Abraham. They also enjoy playing among themselves, especially when it comes to outwitting one another in Uno and other card games.

“Anthony always makes the most random jokes — it comes out of nowhere,” Anayah said, laughing.

Anayah shuffled the deck for a new game and then started dealing the cards. Across the table, Romero compiled her hand and looked at her options. Then she let Amari, still on her lap, pick her next move.

In addition to a new dining room table and chairs, the family needs a toddler bed with railings and a kid’s dresser. They also need help finding and affording a four-bedroom apartment as well as a computer printer with a scanner. Gift cards for clothes at stores like Walmart, Target, Ross, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Burlington and Buy Buy Baby would also be helpful.

To find out more about the Romero family or to give an item on their wish list, contact Any Baby Can, 512-276-8199, anybabycan.org.

Family update

Renee Milam, 36, holds her son A'Zion, who was born with Down syndrome. A'Zion died Nov. 26.
Renee Milam, 36, holds her son A'Zion, who was born with Down syndrome. A'Zion died Nov. 26.

Any Baby Can has been part of Season for Caring since 2002. In 2020, we featured the Milam family. Mother Renee Milam had twin 2-year-olds, one with developmental delays and one with Down syndrome, a 4-year-old with autism and a brain stem tumor, and a 10-year-old with asthma.

On Nov. 26, the 4-year-old A'Zion died unexpectedly. He leaves behind his twin A'Zaria, 6-year-old brother Emory and 12-year-old brother Kaidon, as well as mom Renee Milam.

Consider making a donation in his honor to Season for Caring to help Any Baby Can support this family and all the families it serves who know they might have shortened time with their children.

Nicole Villalpando, Season for Caring Editor

How to donate to Season for Caring

Find the daily coupon in print on Page 2B or go to statesman.com/seasonforcaring.

Now through Christmas Day, $500,000 in donations will be matched by the Sheth family.

P. Terry's Giving Back Day, with all profits going to Season for Caring, is Saturday.

The Driskill hotel's Cookies for Caring cookie tins are on sale at exploretock.com/thedriskillaustin.

To donate:Use the form below or click here: https://statesmansfc.kimbia.com/statesmanseasonforcaring

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Season for Caring: Romero family needs a new table