The birth of a son, the first grandson imposed some time restrains but the business went on. Soon after, Grandma's ill health made everyday operations more difficult. So after much agonizing the decision was made to close the shop and sell the property. The grandparents went to Florida and everyone went on with their lives. During this time Grandpa, carefully guarded all the candy recipes. They had been part of his treasured possessions along with his endless confectionery skills long before the Jersey Shore business came into being.

While in retirement Grandpa kept his hands literally in chocolate by working for one of the Sunshine State's leading chocolatiers. Four years had passed and in l981 a bouncy, bubbly, healthy baby girl, the first granddaughter entered the picture. How perfect, a loving couple, a 4-year old boy, and a newborn baby girl all together living in the home of their dreams.

One year later, number-one granddaughter, Miss Amanda was just about ready to celebrate her 1st birthday. She could win any baby walker derby hands down. She took corners on 2 wheels while giggling and talking up a storm. Shortly after, it became evident that Amanda was having difficulty picking up finger food and other small objects. Her walking was not progressing. She was loosing her balance as well as her contentment.

Several trips to the pediatrician yielded nothing more than, "wait and see". By the time Amanda was 15-months old she could no longer move on her own. Her vocabulary was disappearing and finally there was no speech at all. Eye contact was gone. Local doctors were puzzled. Answers to how and why this was happening were allusive. Strangers couldn't believe Amanda was a typical one-year old just 3-months prior.

After a 5-day evaluation with a world-renowned neurologist the devastating results were revealed. The doctor was rather casual in his reporting assuming we were already aware of the extent of the brain damage. We had not idea prior to that meeting. We were in shock. He offered no explanation as to why or how or what to do or what to expect from Amanda.

We had no diagnosis for Amanda's condition until October 1986. The disease is Rett Syndrome and was not known in the United States until l983, 2 years after Amanda was born. Only little girls are affected after being born perfectly normal. The symptoms appear between 12 and 18 months. Fine motor, gross motor, and speech skills disappear. Seizures usually occur along with curvature of the spine. Medical problems can become quite involved. The prognosis is unknown and cognitive ability varies greatly.

Amanda is an atypical case in that she is still walking at nearly 21 years of age and is very much aware and responsive to others and her environment. She communicates with eye gazes and uses a computer.

Although we had no idea what we were dealing with it was decided to create a super-learning environment for Amanda. She was put through an extremely rigorous customized stimulation program. One hundred volunteers per week helped to implement the program. Amanda worked for 7 hours a day. After 3-months Amanda could creep around on her own and 16 months later she walked independently.

The volunteers were a group of very special people. One woman wanted to help Amanda because she couldn't help her own daughter who was dying from cancer. Another elderly woman who was widowed at age 35, had her nine children taken from her. She had no idea where they were including a child with Downs Syndrome.

The stories just went on and on. We wanted to show our appreciation to the volunteers in some small but meaningful way so we decided to make candy as holiday gifts using some of Grandpa's recipes. This was yet another connection between Amanda and the candy. This went on for many years. Even when Amanda was able to attend a wonderful school the candy was given to her numerous teachers as gifts.

As the years went by Amanda seemed to become more and more interested, in her own special way when the candy was being made. She wanted to be around during every part of the process. At this same time our concern for Amanda and what the future holds for her was becoming more and more part of our thoughts.

We investigated many programs around the country to try and find an appropriate setting for Amanda.. Nothing came close to meeting her needs. Now time is running out in her present placement ending in May, 2002 when she turns 21. The options at this point are almost nonexistent. The few programs that do exist are not appropriate to Amanda's circumstances and do nothing to maintain her precious but limited skill level. Most programs have a 5 to 8 year waiting list.

With few options and critical time concerns we searched for something creative that would serve Amanda's needs and others at the same time. A group home, and or a sheltered workshop could benefit many. Thus Heavenly Chocolates was founded using Grandpa's recipes. A foundation was created to allow tax deductible contributions to fund a group home and other projects that would not only support Amanda but many others at the same time. We hope to encourage community participation; employing seniors, teenagers and anyone who wants to give of themselves. Heavenly Chocolates, Inc. could mean many things to many people. Heavenly Chocolates …. A Divine Intervention.