Meet the Curtis Family

By Lindsey Watson

Photos by 21 vines Photography

Meet the Curtis family, a mom and sons trio with a triple threat in faith, advocacy, and community involvement Zenobia, a strong and loving mother, raised her now-grown boys, Zachary, 28 and Nicholas, 26, in Fishers after moving from Michigan in 2005 for their father’s job.

Zach was diagnosed with autism at age 2 when the family still lived in Michigan He started to receive early intervention a few months after diagnosis and also began sensory integration and speech therapies. At that time, brother Nick was only 2 months old.

Zenobia was broken-hearted and terrified but knew she had to learn everything she could about the disorder and advocate for her son. She was told Zach would never talk For a period of time, he was nonverbal but did end up speaking again She relied heavily on her faith to get her through those hard moments.

When the family first moved here, Zenobia worked as an instructional assistant for Hamilton Southeastern schools, where she said her experience was invaluable and which gave her an education in many disabilities and diagnoses. For the past 13 years, she has been a financial aid counselor for Indiana Wesleyan University. And prior to moving to Fishers, she spent 20 years working as a flight attendant.

During her sons’ childhood, the family enjoyed a special tradition they called “Pow Wows” where they would spread out a blanket on the floor and enjoy dinner, popcorn, and a movie They spent holidays back in Michigan and went to church on Sundays Zach still enjoys singing all the songs. Christianity has served as the core foundation for the whole family.

The Curtises, especially Zach, enjoyed watching NBC Nightly News Zach became obsessed with news anchor Tom Brokaw Zenobia shared that they had to be home to watch every evening. As summer approached, when news anchors take time off, she tried to prepare Zach for the possibility of not seeing Brokaw on TV Just as she had predicted, a fill-in appeared at the news desk one evening Zach was crushed Zenobia said, “He was very upset, lips quivering and all, and had a really tough time pulling himself together.” But to this day, Zach is a news enthusiast who knows all the newscasters by name.

Zenobia and her husband eventually went through a divorce, which was a very difficult transition for the family This time period was spent helping her sons cope, but additionally Zenobia struggled with how to distribute attention between her boys, with Nick needing one-onone time and Zach needing help to understand the situation.

Zach earned his certificate of completion and graduated from Fishers High School. It was a huge accomplishment! Following graduation, though, he struggled as his peers moved on to go to college He participated in a nine-month internship program called Project Search, where he learned interview skills and shadowed different departments at St Vincent Carmel Hospital.

At age 21, Zach began working as a day porter for First Internet Bank, a job he has held for the past 7 years. He still has plans to earn his GED one day Zenobia said, “I can’t even begin to thank First Internet Bank and all that the people there have done for him. The patience and guidance they have extended to him is nothing short of amazing ”

Brother Nick, also a Fishers High School alum, graduated from MIT and then did some mission work abroad. Most recently, Nick was living in Austin, TX, where he was primarily doing film work. Zach and his mom enjoyed having Nick back home this summer, spending quality time together and looking forward to his wedding in July. Zach was in the wedding. Nick and his wife now live in Georgia.

When the Curtises first learned about Zach’s autism, they were told he would never live independently But in October 2021, Zach moved into his own apartment His particular apartment complex has a percentage of units set aside for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Zenobia said the move was a big transition, especially for her. But Zach does come home to visit his mom on weekends.

The two enjoyed picking out furniture together, and Zach knew he wanted a theme of red, black and white.

He calls his apartment his “Man Cave” and really enjoys his independence After moving into his own place, Zenobia shared with a chuckle, Zach proudly asked her, “I’m my own man, right mom?”

Zach’s main priority now is learning to drive, which has been a challenge since he can have trouble focusing and gets distracted easily His ambition to succeed and grow himself is admirable and seems to be a rooted personality trait despite his challenges with autism Many say that if Zach wants something, he doesn’t give up.

A strong-willed attitude allows Zach to advocate for himself to be included in the community He may not have a driver’s license, but he is incredibly involved! In addition to working, he is a member of THRIVE Social Group (an 18+ social and networking program). He speaks for the Joseph Maley Foundation, telling others about living with autism He is a Special Olympics athlete and serves on the Special Olympics Athletic Leadership Council. Additionally, he serves as a Best Buddies Global Ambassador.

Best Buddies is an inclusive program that pairs persons with IDD with typical peers Zach and his matched buddy, Madeline, were awarded “Buddy Pair of the Year” in 2012. Their friendship has persisted since their grade school days When Madeline got married, Zach was even in the wedding. The two recently attended their 10-year high school reunion together, and Madeline still takes Zach Christmas shopping every year Their families agree that the two will always be close.

The Curtises attribute their strength and resilience in overcoming struggles and “bumps in the road,” as they call them, to their strong faith.

Zenobia said, “We are blessed to have very strong advocates for the IDD community in Fishers and all of Hamilton County It truly does take a village, so having as many advocates and resources as possible makes all the difference now, and I believe will even more so in the future.”

To those in similar situations, Zenobia says to “surround yourself with supportive and understanding people. Get involved in organizations and advocate for your child’s community.” Zenobia works full time and is also on the Special Olympics County Management Team and the THRIVE planning committee. She highlighted the importance of parents taking care of themselves, too.

With an obvious love, the Curtis family will likely remain advocates for others with special needs, their strong faith weaving threads of strength throughout the community. Zenobia says, “I have seen the struggles parents have and the unbelievable resilience of not only the parents, but our beautiful children I have learned so much from them.”