The boys were ten years old and living a fairly sheltered existence, with their mother and grandmother, when they met Ollie in 2010. Bored and somewhat depressed by their day-to-day lives, they were being bullied by other kids and getting into fights. Ollie slowly taught them how to live more independently as a blind person—as he himself had learned. The brothers began to do things they’d never done by themselves before, from riding a Metro train to making friends. They began to do better in school and thrive.
But what started as a mentor relationship turned into much more, when Ollie was recently granted joint legal custody of the boys. You can read the full story of Ollie Cantos and his sons in the September 2016 issue of Washingtonian, on newsstands now. Right now, check out this video by Washingtonian staff photographer Evy Mages of a day in the life of the remarkable Cantos family.
Sherri Dalphonse joined Washingtonian in 1986 as an editorial intern, and worked her way to the top of the masthead when she was named editor-in-chief in 2022. She oversees the magazine’s editorial staff, and guides the magazine’s stories and direction. She lives in DC.
