By: Meghan Jacinto

Mary-Minn Sirag is an artist living in Eugene, Oregon who has a fondness for painting skies and atmospheres. For Sirag, art acts as a therapeutic tool because it gives her the opportunity to explore her curiosity and capture what she sees. “Once you get into the art, it’s a different state of mind,” Sirag explains. She believes that art is the one opportunity in life to take chances with no risk. However, when Sirag was younger, she didn’t expect to become the artist she is today.

At a young age, Sirag was diagnosed with autism. In 1957, the year she was diagnosed, only few people knew about the disorder. Sirag remembers the moment vividly. “I was such an extreme and classic case,” she says. Shortly after, Sirag’s grandmother adopted her, raised her, and ensured that she attended a regular school. Sirag felt indebted to her grandmother. However, Sirag’s grandmother only urged her to continue helping other individuals like herself. The chance to fulfill her grandmother’s wish would come much later.

In 2000, Sirag was invited to speak at a KindTree-Autism Rocks retreat about her personal experience with autism. KindTree was an up-and-coming non-profit organization that prided itself on serving and celebrating people on the autism spectrum through art and community. However, Sirag had a deep phobia of public speaking, and she couldn’t speak in front of a group of people unless they were close friends. In order to feel comfortable giving the presentation, the president had to ask her questions in interview form. After Sirag finished speaking, she immediately felt a kinship to the people in attendance. Sirag had been seeking community all her life, and for the first time, she felt like she had a group to which she truly belonged. Sirag remembers the moment clearly, “Besides meeting my husband, it was one of the three transforming experiences of my life.”

Sirag’s husband, Saul-Paul, also recalls the moment when she came home crying with joy after sharing her experience at the retreat, “I was very happy for Mary-Minn that she was able to understand herself much better after meeting other people suffering with autism.”

After this experience, Sirag became more involved in the different programs that KindTree offered. She began by teaching art classes within the art program, and in only two years, she would become the president of KindTree. Sirag explains, “Volunteering for KindTree ignited a passion and the sense of purpose I had been seeking all along.” She plans to continue to help other people through KindTree and hopes to continue to support herself “doing meaningful work that I actually was good at rather than slogging away in some office with other disgruntled co-workers.”

Today, Sirag often finds herself reflecting about her grandmother and her grandmother’s wish as she continues to help others through KindTree. Because without her grandmother, “I likely would not have survived,” says Sirag.