She’s Fighting for Her Family by Running for Congress. Meet Fearless Voice Tatiana Fernandez.
In another life, Tatiana Fernandez would have been a quiet banker in Puerto Rico.
She has been a translator, a healthcare advocate, a property title researcher, and even a music and nightclub promoter. Now this mother, wife, and small businesswoman is asking voters in Florida to hire her as their next Congresswoman.
Tatiana grew up in the mountain town of Cayey with a love of learning. Her mother worked at the local University as a secretary. Her father was a door to door salesman who offered neighbors small personalized signs to hang outside of their homes which had their family surname. An excellent student, Tatiana loved reading and research. She graduated with an Associate’s Degree in banking at just eighteen years old.
After graduation, she started dating a boyfriend and the relationship grew quickly. The couple learned that they were expecting a daughter and, for a brief time, Tatiana felt like she built a picture-perfect life as a mother and a future banker. It would all come crashing down around her in a terrifying way.
Tatiana’s daughter was born with significant health issues and almost immediately it was clear that she would require additional long term care. She was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, a condition caused by abnormal brain development. The symptoms, quality of life, and even life expectancy varies greatly for children with CP and there is no known cure. Tatiana now had one distinct mission in front of her: to get the best care possible to help her daughter make the most of her young life.
Tatiana would be alone in her fight for her daughter. The father left after her diagnosis without providing any support, care, or secure housing. If she did not come up with a plan quickly, Tatiana and her daughter would be homeless.
She tried working for brief periods of time while her daughter was receiving care in the hospital, but the facility was not well-staffed and she learned that her daughter was being left unattended. She requested public assistance services they might qualify for and began filling out paperwork to ask for help with housing and medical care.
Sufficient help never arrived. At age three, while in a crib in the intensive care unit, her daughter was once again left alone by hospital staff and rolled between her crib and her mattress. She experienced significant trauma and injuries. It was a moment that changed Tatiana forever. She was no longer going to plead with the government to provide care for her child; she was going to demand it.
She relied on her research skills to develop a new plan. As a Puerto Rican citizen, she and her daughter were eligible for certain Medicaid benefits on the United States mainland. The doctors would need to refer them to another hospital to get care and then additional benefits would be within reach. At age twenty-three, Tatiana left Puerto Rico with her daughter, a few suitcases, and a list of goals on a piece of paper:
1 — Move to Boston.
2 — Get top level care for her daughter.
3 — Move into a home in a safe neighborhood.
Her dreams were written in Spanish. She did not speak any English when she arrived.
Tatiana’s journey in Boston was powered by relentlessness. She taught herself English by reading library books, taking community college courses, and watching cartoons with her daughter.
She studied the law on her own and learned how to interpret Federal statutes while living in a shelter so that she could successfully demand an opportunity for Section 8 housing.
She learned how to navigate the benefits system and eventually received a part time home health aid worker so that she could start looking for jobs. She took free marketing courses, computer literacy classes, and even government contracting seminars in her search for a career where she could earn a living while still caring for her daughter daily.
Tatiana’s mornings with her daughter were filled with music whenever possible. While her daughter never had the ability to speak, she responded to music in a way that seemed to transport her to a special place. That love of music gave Tatiana her next big idea.
When her daughter turned six and was able to be in school part time, Tatiana started a business as a music and club promoter. It was something she was able to do at night, she made better money than at a minimum wage job, and she surprised herself at how good she was. At first glance Tatiana may have seemed quiet and reserved, but her experiences gave her the ability to fight for others when she needed to. She soon earned the nickname “The Panther” because “she had a bite” if the clubs did not treat her clients well.
As Tatiana’s daughter grew, her care became even more difficult. At age nine, her daughter was too large for her to lift and care for on her own. And, though she was still responsive to her mother and Tatiana was fighting to make every day count, it was clear that her condition was worsening. It was time to put her in a full time care facility.
For this part of her journey with her daughter, Tatiana would not be alone. During a trip back to see her family in Puerto Rico she met Angel. While Tatiana was cautious to bring anyone new into their lives, Angel fell in love with her instantly. He was drawn to her quiet strength. A friend of her family’s, he was blown away by the stories he would hear about her fighting for what was possible instead of settling for what she was given. They spoke over the phone for three months long distance and, as he shared his own goals with her, he was constantly impressed with her head for business.
Tatiana’s daughter passed away in 2001 and she soon left Boston. She and Angel spent a few quiet years in Puerto Rico building a business together as process servers for the courts. At the age of 28, Tatiana and Angel were blessed with a son who was given his father’s name.
Young Angel was diagnosed with autism at the age of two and a half. Tatiana was not going to repeat the nightmare of having insufficient care for her child. She and Angel saw an article in their local newspaper about the Baudhuin School for early childhood studies. They specialized in teaching children with Autism and they were holding a seminar in Puerto Rico.
Tatiana and Angel drove for over an hour to attend the seminar and Tatiana approached the school’s Director who spoke on the panel. There were no Baudhuin programs in Puerto Rico, but they did have a school in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Unfortunately, the Director explained, that program was only for Florida residents.
One month later, Tatiana had her new Florida ID and a lease for her Ft. Lauderdale apartment in her hand as she walked into the Boudin office to fill out the admissions paperwork for her son.
Nearly twenty years later, the Fernandez-Diaz family is thriving in Florida with no signs of the intense struggle and sacrifice it took for them to get where they are today.
They own a family-operated business conducting certification and training for medical and industrial equipment. Angel handles the sales and Tatiana runs the marketing. The business has given them an opportunity to travel and meet clients all over North America as a husband and wife team.
Angel, Jr. graduated from high school and is doing extremely well. After his graduation, Tatiana reignited her own passion for learning and started studying how government works. She began volunteering locally and even had the opportunity to work in the office of Florida State Legislator Daisy Morales.
Tatiana was invited by Rep. Morales to attend a meeting in Washington, D.C. for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). Tatiana soon ran into legislators from Boston she knew from years earlier who instantly recognized and remembered her. Her fellow Floridians realized quickly that they had underestimated their quiet Tatiana and that she would be a strong advocate to bring Hispanic voters to the table.
A political panther was born.
Tatiana’s reason for running for Congress sounds simple enough. “I’m tired of seeing people struggling,” she said. “There are funds to help people. There are programs to help people get ahead. But we don’t have a way to reach into communities and offer them help.” But, as Tatiana knows all too well, getting help from these programs to the people who need it is anything but simple. She wants to change that.
As much as she’s running for office for her community, this latest journey is also for her son. She doesn’t want him to feel like his opportunities are limited. She wants him to have access to his system of government, to business leaders, and to pursue his own dreams.
“Autism is not going to be what defines him. It is not his calling card. He is going to have confidence when he enters a room and to feel like he belongs. We want him to be able to navigate the world, even if he has to take more steps to get somewhere.”
Her campaign is a family affair. Her husband, Angel, Sr., is her campaign manager. Their son Angel, who loves meeting new people, is often at campaign and community events with his parents.
Tatiana just officially qualified to be on the ballot as a candidate for Congress. There are some in Florida political circles who feel that her campaign is a long shot. After all, she’s not focusing on wealthy donors or the local elite. She’s spending her time with people in the community who she feels are ignored: families with kids who have disabilities, people who speak English as a second language, workers who are struggling to find their own affordable places to live, and Floridians who feel that their representation doesn’t represent them.
Perhaps this invisible group of Americans will make themselves visible on Election Day and Tatiana will get to carry a new list of dreams to Washington.
