Jonathan Brusco
Nick Ajluni
After a six-year process, which
included numerous doctors visits and
countless challenges, Jonathan Brusco
and his wife Julie Klem had reason
to celebrate. Last year on May 17th,
their daughter Isabella, was born.
“There were days when we
thought we’d never be able to have
a child. To have Isabella in our
lives is a blessing that I cannot put
into words,” Brusco, a Technology
Curriculum Director at Los Altos’
Pinewood School, said.
The Morgan Hill couple has
embraced parenthood and now
that their “little miracle” has turned
one, they realize how crucial every
moment of her childhood is.
“I’ll probably blink and she’ll be
graduating from high school,” Brusco
said.
As joyous an event as Isabella’s
birth was, two months later Brusco
was dealt a crushing blow. His father
suffered a major stroke.
“You deal with the hand you’re
dealt and [you] are there for your
family in their times of need,” he
said.
Brusco does all he can to be there
for his father just as his father was
always there for him.
“If there was a checklist of items a father should teach his son, he prob-
ably covered them all,” Brusco said.
Brusco’s parents were separated
and visits with his father, who lived
two hours away, were a high priority
to him. Understanding the importance
of being there for your child fuels
Brusco’s determination to devote as
much time as possible to his daugh-
ter.
“I think there is tremendous value
in simply being physically and emo-
tionally present as often as possible,”
he said.
“I want to be able to create a
path for her that is supportive, nurtur-
ing, and allows her to reach her full
potential as a human being.”
A surprising realization came to
Brusco after Isabella was born, and
his perspective on life changed.
“The entire world takes on a new
meaning,” Brusco said.
“All that you do is viewed through
a lens of parenthood. I knew being
a father would be a transformative
experience, but I didn’t realize that it
would be so to this degree,” he said,
adding, “The English language has
the fewest words to describe ‘love’
and perhaps we need more because
saying you love your child simply
doesn’t describe it.”
Nick Ajluni, 28, takes his job as a
Senior Environmental Inspector, man-
aging stormwater compliance for
the City of San Jose, very seriously
because he believes his work directly
impacts his son.
“I really enjoy fishing, I want to
make sure our creeks are clean so
my son can enjoy it too,” he said.
He and his wife Jessica live in
Morgan Hill and two years ago
May, they became first-time parents
to Colton. Ajluni was taken by sur- prise that fatherhood could be so
much fun.
“I thought the amount of work and
the amount of fun… I didn’t realize
how much of a balance there would
be,” he said.
“Everyone tells you what it’s like
but until you actually experience it,
it’s very different. Seeing how this
little individual grows and seeing his
thought process and how he devel-
ops, it’s just amazing.”
Sharing his love of the outdoors
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
JUNE/JULY 2018
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