When a local mom's toddler received a terrifying medical diagnosis, she used the hardship her family experienced to find ways of aiding others. Now the circle of care is marking 20 years of helping.

Tiffany Mack says when she took her child Amelia to the emergency room, she thought she would be treated for a cold or the flu. Instead, doctors diagnosed Amelia with leukemia. That's when she went to Circle of Care in Wilton.

Circle of Care was founded after Liz and Jeff Salguero's son was diagnosed with cancer at 2 1/2 years old in 2001.

"Chemotherapy had to start within 48 hours if it was going to work," said Liz Salguero. "The doctor handed me a 3-inch binder full of papers and said, 'This is the next 29 months of your life.'"

"She started Circle of Care while we were in treatment," said Jeff Salguero.

The first project was stuffing totes for sudden hospital stays for families.

Mack faced increasing hardship following her daughter's diagnoses.

"I called my job crying, and I was like, 'You are going to fire me because that is my kid, I'm going to be here,'" she said. "When you are calling out of work, there is no PTO. You used it all. Financially, they help financially."

"Keeping people in their homes with a roof over their head and food on the table and a phone that is working is critical," said Liz Salguero.

Parents at Circle of Care are trained as peer counselors because they have been through similar situations.

Amelia marked a milestone this month.

"Amelia has been cancer-free for three years," Mack said. "They are still my family."

Carlos, who started it all, recovered from leukemia and recently graduated from college.