Yesterday my brother Lance turned 37. He is a swimmer, has worked at the Cody, Wyoming Walmart since he was 15. Loves the Pittsburgh Steelers and all sports, Reads the Sports Section of the Billings Gazette and memorizes it. He ushers at his church and calls Bingo at the senior center and knows people all over the county. The Marquee at one of the restaurants on Main Street announced his Birthday to the town and he had over 40 people eating cake with him last night. People Love him.
He was a mistake we were told, he should never have been born and the Dr. was willing to ignore the infection he had at 6 months because it might be better for the family if he didn't live. He would never sit up, or know his own name, or recognize his parents. We'd be better off if he was institutionalized and no-one ever formed an attachment to a person who would never love them back or live to be 25.
He was born in 1975 with Down's syndrome. A mongoloid idiot was the term the medical profession was using.
He is the greatest gift our family ever got and he is the one who taught us "I love You" in sign before the surgery at 5 1/2 that gave him back the hearing he lost at 6 months from that Giardia infection which was so easily curd with one dose of penicillin.
this is an amazing story, Dixie. what a happy day yesterday must have been for your family. Happy Birthday to your brother, Lance, and wishing him many, many more. i accept that doctors are people, too, and make mistakes. what i do not accept is that these same attitudes prevail today in the hearts and minds of people, some of whom are doctors - or think of themselves as such. fav.
Happy Birthday to your brother!! Thank goodness opinions about Downs Sydrome have improved over the years. I know there is still a lot of prejudice to overcome but it's not as severe as it was when your brother was born. I have a cousin with Downs. She is a real character, but loyal as all get-out. This is a fantastic tribute to your brother and I sending him wishes for a great year ahead!
What a lovely and loving family you come from, Dixie. Your brother is a gift, indeed. People like Lance have an amazing love of life. I only wish that I had as many friends as Lance ... Happy Birthday to him. Your story about him and the one about Holland have brought tears to my eyes. FAV.
what a lovely and moving story, dixie. 37 years is no mean feat for someone written off from the start. my youngest brother is now 49 years old and, like your brother, he was also 'written off'. born at barely 7 months, lived in an incubator for 3, fit in a shoebox, didn't walk until four, didn't speak until 5 but boy! he's one of the smartest people i know. he could count a whole floor to ceiling shelf of paint cans just by looking at them. when i saw the movie 'rainman' where raymond counted the matchsticks that fell on the floor, it reminded me of my brother because he did exactly the same thing when he was seven, he had no access to the matchbox because we hid it from him all the time; and he memorized a big dictionary reading it in just one week. he didn't do well in school because his smarts is not the 'normal' smart. but give him a line from any bee-gees song and he'll tell you the title, from which album, from what year and a real long background story. when i was young i heard all the time that there's always one special person in a family - after my mother died, my brother replaced her. here's to brothers who light up our lives!
@summerfield Your reply meant so much to me, O've thought all night about what to say, but it comes down to the fact that there are no words needed between people who get how special it is to share their lives with someone very different but still wonderful.
Dixie, a friend mentioned that a friend of his family was having a baby and that there were complications - drs say downs and suggested abortion. The parents-to-be decided against it. So my friend was saying that he didn't know how he would feel if he were in their position. Another friend commented that he would definitely take the drs suggestion. All I could think of was you and this post. I came here as soon as I could because of the "Welcome to Holland" link. I copied it for my friends. I'm hoping it gets passed to the parents-to-be. I know they made the right decision and will be blessed all their lives, even if they do end up in Holland and in Italy. Thanks for posting about the blessings of having a wonderful brother like yours.
@hoosierhokie Wow! I love that you did pass it on. Hey another great place to pass on is a page on Facebook called circle 21 about living with those with an extra 21st chromosome
November 12th, 2012
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