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The protcetion of down syndrome
Introduction to down syndrome
Down syndrome
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Throughout our lives we all encounter special people. My life was changed forever following the passing of a man very special to me. My "Uncle" Jody was a downsyndromed man that my family and I have taken care since I was born. At the time of his passing Jody was sixty five years old. Jody lived a long and rewarding life. The impact that Jody had on many peoples lives was immense and immeasurable. Jody Snell will never be forgotten because he had the innocence of a child, he always beat the odds, and he loved everyone he ever met.
Jody Snell was born into this world on June 14th 1942. He was born with a genetic condition known as down syndrome. At the time of Jody's birth this condition was relatively unknown, and his future was up in the air. The doctors had no idea what his mental capabilities would be, and no one expected the impact that his initial "deficiencies" would make for many memorable moments for years to come.
Unquestionably, Jody was born to a family who cared and loved him. His mother became a stay at home mother and cared for him immensely on a daily basis. Jody was the oldest of his three siblings and he was always their big brother. Jody was a big protector, who cared for them more than anything. However as time went on, the other children aged both physically and mentally. Due to his condition, Jody always stayed at about the age of five in terms of his mental capacity.
While most teenagers had already figured out the truth about Santa Clause, Jody Snell never stopped believing. Jody never stopped trying to figure out what he was going to receive from Santa Clause. He would always sit around the tree and violently shake his presents in order to try and figure out what he was receiving. He spoke in curiosity, often wondering aloud "How does Santa manage to deliver all of the presents to all kids of the world?"
Each and every Christmas Eve, Jody would sit up and try to wait and see Santa Clause come in. We always had to be careful, because Jody was very alert and easily awakened by loud noises. So as we brought in the presents, one of us stayed by Jody's bedroom door to make sure he could not come out while we placed the gifts.
I admire the fact that my grandfather resumed a normal life-style after being released from the hospital two years after his accident. Not only did he get married, but he raised six children.
Most people know the story of Santa. While there are many different versions, the gist of it is the night before Christmas, while children are sleeping, a fat man slips down the chimney to distribute gifts to boys and girls that have been good all year. The story was meant to bring hope and joy to children. It was a tale of giving and of love. However, as time goes on characters change, sometimes for better, and sometimes they take a turn for the worst.
The story of Pegasus begins when Perseus, Hermes and Athena were sent to kill Medusa. They had a special sword that wouldn’t shatter or chip once used to strike the Gorgon’s scales and a shield that could also serve as a mirror. Perseus used the shield to look behind him and he slowly but surely got behind Medusa then beheaded her. Perseus had also used an invisible helmet to escape the sisters of Medusa so they couldn’t counterattack and get revenge ("Legend of Pegasus"). The leftover blood that oozed from the bodiless head and fell into the ocean, to make foam, created Pegasus ("Constellation of Pegasus").
“Why,” you ask, “position yourself only to be disappointed upon realizing that all you hold as true is in fact false?” I will tell you that I grew up believing in Santa Claus—the jolly, old, fat man who annually descended the chimney with his endless sack of treasures. I will tell you that I still believe that Santa Claus exists, despite being told otherwise by both parent and peer. I will tell you not only that Santa Claus exists, but that he exists in you and your family and your friends and every person who gives a little extra in any way thinkable.
Many people have come and gone through my life. Like a revolving door, but it doesn’t matter how long they stayed in my life. To me, it only matters on how they made an impact on me. I think about Kurt Zuidmulder every day, he was a coach, teacher, and father. He was also a friend to the whole community of Hermantown, MN, and Hibbing, MN. He was the greatest human I have ever met, and I will never forget him. Kurt affected me through his larger than life personality, his incredible sense of humor, and his overall kindness.
During the summer or even on weekends my mom would take me with her to go help out her patients. Which included bathing them, feeding them, and caring for them. Not only did I help my mom with her patients but I would always help rake leaves, pick up trash and make their yard look nice. I can’t even image how they would’ve done all the things I did for them with their fragile bodies. I’m glad I was there for them and made a difference. Aside from helping my mom’s patients. I helped an elderly man who was on fire in his backyard. It was around spring time and I heard someone screaming yelling “help” so I went around to look and there he was on fire. I tried so hard to put out the fire and it felt like mission impossible but I did not give up even though the ambulance were on the way. He was burnt pretty bad, but I was so glad I found him. Who knows it could’ve been worse! He is still alive till this day and sits on his porch waiting for me to pass by his house every morning to say good morning. It’s such a wonderful feeling to know that I not only changed a life but I saved
Christmas was 24 hours away, and there was a huge problem. Santa’s sleigh is guided by one special guy we all know and love- Rudolph. You know the story about everyone’s favorite reindeer: a funny looking reindeer gets made fun of by all of the other reindeer for his glowing nose, in which leads to his significant job of guiding the magical sleigh through the dark to deliver gift to all of the children. However, something was wrong with Rudolph’s unique colored nose: it wouldn’t glow. Rudolph had been feeling very isolated lately, everyone was in such a rush to get ready for Christmas he wasn’t feeling any Christmas spirit. Everyone was too occupied to notice ,but when they did it wasn’t good. “Rudolph! Your nose! What happened?” an elf named
Preston was born June 21st, 1994 in layton, Ut. To George and Shalyndee Scott being their second son they then moved back to southern Ut. and over the next eight years he would be given three younger brothers to grow with and torment. At the end of his third grade year he and all his brothers would be pulled from public school to be home schooled by their mom until 2008. when his father
Trey was exceptionally behind the rest of his classmates. Not only could he not read or write like his peers, he would barely talk. Trey was not in any special education classes nor did he have any physical disabilities. Trey was just one of those kids who needed a little extra help and I became that person for him.
Most I’ve met throughout my career and by helping them with what at a time in their life was very difficult. I had no idea what to do for a video, since my speech is affected by my disabilities, so in a search for the answer to the topic question, I sent out a mass text message. I was overwhelmed, humbled, and the video issue solved. I will read from those whose lives I have I touched through my job as a legal assistant and radio personality.
...know you guys aren't lying because Jeremy lies all the time. Like one time he said Santa wasn't real! But I knew he was lying because I left Santa a letter under the Christmas tree once and he wrote me one back!" She looked so happy. It was absolutely adorable."You know I've never told anyone this but I've seen Santa before. When I was eight, I woke up in the middle of the night because I heard something on the roof, so I went downstairs and I saw Santa putting gifts under the tree." Both Laney and Presley had their mouths open in shock. "OMG! Did you get his autograph?!" Jeremy said mockingly. "Yeah, did you?!" Presley asked wide eyed. "I did but then Sean thought it was just a blank piece of paper and wrote all over it."
My frightened siblings and I stood behind my father but something caught my eye. I could see his starving eyes not only for food, but for warmth, clothes, a home, a family. All this that we take for advantage. My dad took him aside and offered to bring him to a restaurant and pay for a meal of his choice. I never realized that I was able to fill my stomach and complain that “I’m too full to walk”, while others like him are out in the cold night starving. What I remember the most about that night was when we left the restaurant and we saw the gentleman across the street. All I could see was his big smile and thankfulness. From then on I would no longer be scared of helping people, but inspired to show compassion and help make a difference. Every year after this life changing experience, my friends and I go downtown to donate and volunteer at the food bank to help people like the man that changed my perspective of life. We also started Christmas hampers that we give to less fortunate families and make their holidays a special one that they could
When I took care of my uncle last year in home hospice, I encountered this strength of spirit. As he tirelessly battled cancer, I saw his need for personal interaction, validation and compassion. I had the privilege to support him during his journey and learned a lot about myself in the process. I developed a stronger, more personal relationship with him, learning that people continue to forge on and search for joy in their lives despite astounding odds. This moved