Today we’d like to introduce you to Delma Palacios.
Hi Delma, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve always known that I wanted to make a difference since I was younger. I remember seeing international missionaries or people who help the homeless on TV, and I felt like I wanted to make a difference in people’s situations just like them. My upbringing wasn’t so bad. I grew up in a rougher neighborhood in the 90s in the southwest side of San Antonio: Indian Creek. At that time, gangs were still pretty active, and the crime was high. But I did have both parents, and they were hardworking, so we didn’t struggle, I’d say, as much as some of my friends’ families or people I went to school with. I have had a series of good times in my life, such as when I was married, graduated, and when my daughter Heaven Leigh and Tatiana were born. I have also had a series of hard times in my life like losing my older brother Aaron to suicide in 2009, my daughter Tatiana to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in 2017, and my aunt Norma to cancer in 2019. These hard times, in particular, have molded me to really be able to empathize with other people and their fears, insecurities, struggles, etc. In 2019, my mom JoAnn, who is a registered nurse, was working multiple jobs and had been fostering a lady with special needs, Conchita. She had been part of our family for a few years already, so we decided that I would try my hand at fostering and also lighten my mom’s load. In 2020, as a gift from a friend, I started a nonprofit: the Tatiana Palacios Foundation. In the beginning, I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do although I did want to help people with special needs. I had a really rough delivery with my daughter Tatiana, hemorrhaging and needing multiple blood transfusions. She was born as a preemie and was still very small when she passed away at 5 1/2 months and was beginning to express cognitive and developmental delays. In 2021, Conchita also passed away from COVID. That’s when I really decided that my mission would be to help those with special needs who are in facility or foster situations and to eventually open a group home myself. She went with us out of town a few times and, having lived in group homes all her adult life until she passed away at 46, it wasn’t something she had done before. I just knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life honoring my daughter’s life by improving the situation of persons with disabilities.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Absolutely not! As a nonprofit President, even when our hearts and intentions are in the right place, qualifying for grants and increasing our brand awareness by showcasing the stories of persons living with special needs could be mistaken for exploitative tactics or as disingenuous. All we’re trying to do is make a difference in their quality of lives and helping them with opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have. It’s so close to my heart because my daughter had developmental issues because she was a preemie. Losing my daughter, by far, was the bumpiest part of the road. The days after her death when I woke up and every day was like losing her again. Looking for my baby to take care of and realizing she was gone. It used to pain me so much. I struggled so much with my mental health at that point, and the road to healing was lengthy. Then when my aunt died from cancer, I was devastated. She’s really one of the only people who was supportive towards me and my struggles as a young adult. The time when I was making bad choices. She was there to support me and did it in such a graceful way, even when I know it was probably hard.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about The Tatiana Palacios Foundation?
The main focus of this article is the nonprofit I founded the Tatiana Palacios Foundation, but I’m an entrepreneur. In 2021, I started my company Palacios Properties & Investments, LLC. Currently, this is my main line of work. We rent vacation homes and cars in the San Antonio area. We set ourselves apart by design and function when it comes to our rentals. They are all beautifully decorated, well-maintained, and stocked to improve functionality while away from home. As for the Tatiana Palacios Foundation, we specialize in assisting persons with disabilities and their caregivers. We provide individualized support services to them, and it’s all needs-based. You tell us how we can help, and we work to help them reach that end goal. We also do community outreach with group homes and adult daycares from Austin to San Antonio hoping they feel loved and special with holiday events and gifts. I want them to know they are never forgotten and that we’ll do as much as we can to add to their success and well-being.
What does success mean to you?
To me, success is a feeling of wholeness. Wholeness means you aren’t lacking. While, at one point, success meant material possessions and accomplishments to me; I know now that none of those things matter if you feel like you’re lacking. While it’s realistic to always be improving; it’s also realistic to recognize your shortcomings, embrace them and yourself, and still feel whole. Success is also resilience and perseverance. You’ll always succeed if you’re always trying and never give up.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thetatianapalaciosfoundation.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/thetatianapalaciosfoundation
- Facebook: facebook.com/thetatianapalaciosfoundation
- Other: www.palaciospropertiesandinvestments.com
Image Credits
The Tatiana Palacios Foundation
