The Dynamic Duos

Aren't we cute?

This blog would be insufficient if I failed to write about my brother Paul. So I will dedicate this post to him. Paul is so special to our family but he is particularly special to me. He is my coolest cool man. He is my inspiration and my "partner in crime" (that's my way of saying he is my handicapped companion and friend). We are a team! He's the brawn, I'm the brains. I make the plans and he sees to it that they are carried out. Everyone needs to feel needed or have someone who they can care for. So Paul has me and I have him.

He is a gift from God. He manifests God's love to others through his joy, his innocence and childlike simplicity, his frequent kisses, and his acts of service to others. Each of us are given a specific mission to do in life and God gives us the gifts to fulfill our missions. Down Syndrome men and women are given the mission by God to love unconditionally and they radiate this love just by their very presence. How can we (as a society) deprive these special people of the opportunity to fulfill their missions? Who are we to judge who has the right to live or die? The truth is - we don't. If we kill the mentally handicapped - in particular Downs children - we harm ourselves for we deprive ourselves of knowing and receiving unconditional love. When Mom gave birth to Paul and she and Dad discovered he was a Downs, the doctors advised her to have him put away because he thought she could never be able to handle raising a child with special needs. Mom didn't even consider the doctor's advice of that day. To her and Dad, a child - with or without handicaps - is a person and is given the right by the very essence of his personhood to live and to live for God, the Creator of Life. A handicapped person is no less alive than a person who is normal. This is how my parents treated Paul. Paul was their child - just like all their other children - and they chose to keep him and raise him as a child of God and their child. Paul was gifted with being born into a big family with lots of siblings who love him and want him around.

Back to talking about a person having a purpose in life. Every person needs to have a purpose in life to make them feel needed and the handicapped are no exception. Whether one is mentally or physically handicapped, he or she must be able to give of themselves to others as much as they can. They must be trained to live selflessly for others, instead of focusing on their own wants and desires. Because of their limitations, Downs are perpetual children and like all children they tend to focus on themselves so the best thing for them is to have someone that they care for. Paul is best when he is in a routine of helping others and when he and I are together we take care of each other. I help him make decisions (small or big) and explain little things to him. He feeds me, carries me around, and rooms with me in case I need help during the night when I'm in the Porta Lung. We love to watch old movies - mostly musicals - together. Mind you, it is always the SAME movie too. One of Paul's main habits is to replay the same movie over.and over.and over.and over.and over again! It's like watching "Groundhog Day" - it's always the SAME! Nothing ever changes! I could leave the movie and return 2 days later and more than likely, he'd be in the same place in the movie! The need for repetition is AMAZING!