Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Christina Sablan, 26, and her mother Julie Olvera talk in Sablan's bedroom inside her apartment in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008. Sablan, who had a viral infection in her brain as a baby and brain damage as a result, had little success in 12 group homes and on multiple medications. A year and a half ago she was given her own apartment, with supervised staff, and has flourished in that environment, says her mother, who communicated with her daughter through sign language and written notes.

Leila Navidi

Christina Sablan, 26, and her mother Julie Olvera talk in Sablan's bedroom inside her apartment in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008. Sablan, who had a viral infection in her brain as a baby and brain damage as a result, had little success in 12 group homes and on multiple medications. A year and a half ago she was given her own apartment, with supervised staff, and has flourished in that environment, says her mother, who communicated with her daughter through sign language and written notes.