Cindi's Story - A Message of Hope

A Mother's Love Knows No Bounds.

Originally written by Cindi on February 17, 2020.

Hi, I'm Cindi, DJ's mom. DJ means the world to me, and I couldn't be prouder of everything that he has accomplished, and continues to do.

DJ (Daniel John) was born in Sumter, South Carolina in 1983 (read DJ's Story here). In 1985, we moved Colorado, and in early 1986, at the age of 3, DJ was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder with Psycho Motor Retardation at Fitsimmons Army Medical Center in Aurora, CO.

In 1990, we moved to the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area so DJ could to take advantage of UNC Medical School's TEACCH® program.

The TEACCH® program provides a range of clinical services that are tailored to meet the unique needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. Another draw was that the Wake County (NC) School System has great special needs and austim programs at many of the elementary, middle and high schools, which would be a great fit for DJ.

I soon found myself a single mom with two young children, working two and three jobs to support my family.

And DJ found his love of art.

Unfortunately, as he grew up, D.J. was teased and bullied in school. These negative experiences inspired D.J. to create the land of Imagiville; a safe place in his imagination where everyone is treated kindly and accepted just the way they are. The Mupperezmo and the rest of the Imagifriends were born, and our journey was soon to begin.

In July of 2011, DJ and I began attending autism conferences, meetings and events. DJ had made so much progress up to that point, and really started to come out of his shell and loved to tell his story about how The Mupperezmo and the other Imagifriends of Imagiville came about, and that they were on a mission to end bullying and gain acceptance for everyone, especially those with autism and other special needs. 

Currently we travel throughout the Mid-Atlantic region to attend a variety conferences, meetings and events and present several workshops, such as “Autism: Our Journey Together - A Message of Hope”, where we share our personal story. We also offer workshops on bullying, inclusion, autism acceptance and autism awareness at these vents as well as local schools, churches and other groups. DJ is also often one of the keynote speakers at many of the events .

We also exhibit DJ’s artwork and other autism awareness items at the events, and just created The Imagistore (now DJandTheImagifriends.com), where DJ sells his artwork on tee shirts, coffee mugs and other items. 

DJ loves art and loves to make special edition pieces for businesses, people and events. If you’d like to commission DJ to create a truly unique and inspiring piece for you or your business, please let us know. 

Thank you for your support, and remember to always “Look and see things from a different point of view!”

Love, Cindi