Eka Karyati adalah ibu dari Einar Kafka Leif, anak berusia 6 tahun dengan disabilitas intelektual. Perjalanan mereka dalam Program Young Athletes dimulai saat sang anak bergabung melalui rekomendasi sekolah. Sejak awal, ia sebenarnya sudah melihat ketertarikan anaknya pada aktivitas fisik. Ia senang bergerak, senang berolahraga, namun belum terlatih dan belum terarah.
Tantangan terbesar baginya bukan hanya soal latihan, tetapi melatih kesabaran dan keikhlasan. Menghadapi anak dengan energi yang besar dan emosi yang belum stabil membutuhkan tenaga ekstra. Tidak jarang ia merasa lelah, namun antusiasmenya untuk melihat perkembangan sang anak selalu lebih besar.
Tujuannya sederhana: ia ingin anaknya lebih mandiri, mampu mengelola emosi dengan lebih baik, dan memiliki arah dalam menyalurkan energinya. Meski belum mudah diarahkan, ia terus mendampingi, belajar untuk lebih sabar, dan percaya pada proses.
Perlahan, perubahan mulai terlihat. Einar yang sebelumnya sulit fokus dan tidak terarah, kini mulai bisa mengikuti instruksi sedikit demi sedikit, berkat latihan yang konsisten dan dukungan dari sekolah sebagai salah satu bentuk terapi. Tak hanya itu, kemampuan interaksi sosialnya pun mulai berkembang.
Di tengah proses itu, ia menyadari sebuah hal penting: “Ternyata anak saya bisa, asal dilatih pelan-pelan dan dengan sabar.”
Kesadaran ini menjadi kekuatan baru baginya bahwa perjalanan ini bukan hanya tentang perkembangan anak, tetapi juga tentang pertumbuhan dirinya sebagai orang tua, belajar bersabar, percaya, dan ikhlas dalam mendampingi setiap langkah kecil Einar.
Eka Karyati is the mother of Einar Kafka Leif, a 6-year-old boy with an intellectual disability. Their journey in the Young Athletes Program began when Einar joined through a recommendation from his school. From the very beginning, Eka had already noticed her son’s interest in physical activities. He enjoys moving and loves sports, but at that time, he had not yet received structured or guided training.
The biggest challenge for Eka was not only the training itself, but also learning patience and acceptance. Caring for a child with high energy levels and unstable emotions requires extra physical and emotional strength. There were many moments of exhaustion, yet her enthusiasm to witness her son’s progress always outweighed her fatigue.
Her goal was simple: she wanted Einar to be more independent, able to manage his emotions better, and have a positive direction to channel his energy. Although he was not easy to guide at first, Eka continued to support him, learning to be more patient and trusting the process.
Gradually, changes began to appear. Einar, who once struggled to focus and lacked direction, is now able to follow instructions little by little, thanks to consistent training and support from his school as part of his therapy. Beyond that, his social interaction skills have also started to develop.
In the midst of this journey, Eka came to an important realization: “I realized that my child can do it, as long as he is trained slowly and with patience.”
This realization became a new source of strength for her. She understands that this journey is not only about her child’s development, but also about her own growth as a parent—learning patience, trust, and wholehearted acceptance while accompanying each of Einar’s small but meaningful steps.