Leon has been a hero. Since he walked through the door in October, he has helped my oldest son, Sebastian, find his strength and alignment. He has used his physical therapy expertise and creativity to help Sebastian gain better control of his body, as he stands on the edge of adolescence and major changes. But not only Sebastian; Leon quickly became a part of our family and a friend and ally to each of us. He sought to meet each child where they were and has been a balm to our family, ripped raw from a year of loss of our jobs and professions with major cuts to the State Department and the dismantling of USAID.
With our youngest, he bonded over a love of art and fun, helping him through his own transitions of kindergarten, nighttime toileting, and reading. With our middle son, who has struggled with intense anxiety, he found wonderful ways to support him through a shared love of dungeons and dragons, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter, helping him with confidence and strategies that fend off his anxiety.
And with Sebastian, he has brought endless patience, kindness, and a sense of humor that helps him express himself despite being non-verbal. He has brought endless creativity to finding methods to help Sebastian find strength and energy. Leon has also used his expertise to help the larger Team Sebastian work with him more effectively and more safely. He has helped Sebastian’s Grandparents better help him stretch and stand and showed them ideas for their own flexibility. He has helped Sebastian’s therapists with strategies to help him and avoid injuries to their backs by lifting. The head of Beyond the Basics ABA asked to see what Leon recommended for helping Sebastian, so she could use it herself.
Leon jumped right into participating in our wacky love of holidays, dressing up as a pirate to join our family costume. He has decorated gingerbread, joined in kids New Years celebrations, played games, read books, and done wonderful art, making our family bigger, better, and more fun. These moments helped our children see Leon not just as a caregiver, but as a true family member and friend.
He has shared his love of his family, his hometown in Marbourg, and his German traditions – from making us his family bread recipe, to teaching the boys German words, to finding ways to show art and music that he grew up with – he manages to bridge culture and encourage our boys to learn more and more about the world.
He is always learning and showing our boys that they must keep growing. He set goals for climbing harder boulders, and we have all celebrated his successes and laughed with him when he fell short and had to keep trying. He took the two youngest boys to learn bouldering and patiently took them step by step to share his own love of the sport.
He has created community – reaching out to other Apex professionals and proposing outings, joining forces with other au pairs in our neighborhood, and helping neighbors in the recent snowstorm with his impressive shoveling skills.
Recently, Leon was accosted on the street by a mentally ill man and punched in the face until his nose was broken and he was battered across his face. Bleeding and in the emergency room, he still found ways to joke and instill peace in those around him. When, a week later they offered surgery or to have his nose “punched back” into place, he chose no anesthesia and just took the hit again – finding the humor and showing our boys what bravery and resilience looks like in our everyday hero.
Leon brings his patience, courage, kindness, and sense of gratitude to each thing he does with us and for us, and shows our boys and our extended family what it means to be an incredible professional and friend.
The Ladnier Family
