Downs Syndrome, Growing up With Scotty

I am about to share a wonderful story with you all.....it is all true as my stories always are.  This one is full of life and love and a mountain of laughter....my only trouble with this story is it will be hard to stop, as there are so many wonderful things to share with you all.
and so it goes a little like this....

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Scotty.  He was born into this world  39 years ago today.  He was born into a loving family with two proud parents and a 1 year old baby sister.
They were a little family who lived a normal family life in their neat and tidy little home. The father went to work and the mother stayed home and tended to her babies.
Scotty's birth made quite an impact on many people. For he had been born with  Downs Syndrome. He would face a life much different to that of you and I.  Many babies in the early 1970's and earlier were immediately put into childrens homes or mental institutions  and given up by their parents.  Thankfully the beautiful parents wouldn't have a bar of that idea....Scotty was their gorgeous baby boy and he would stay well and good with them and that was all there was to it.

So Scotty grew.......and grew and grew and grew.  He crawled ,he walked and then he ran !  There was just  no stopping him. He was an independant little thing who instictively knew just how to do things, just in a different way.  One morning the mummy came down into the kitchen to prepare breakfast only to find Scotty had already taken care of his own. He was sitting in the middle of the kitchen table with a spoon and his cereal and bottle of milk.......it didn't seem to matter that the bowl was missing. With a big smile he slurped his way through his breakfast, proud as punch that he had made his own.  His mummy laughed and was oblivious to the mess that she would have to clean up when he was finished.

Scotty loved his big sister and happily chased her around the house and garden wanting to do everything she did. He would ride his little bike around and refuse to use his brakes. He would instead use his feet , hence plenty of shoes and plenty of bandaids.  Everything he did he did at a fast pace.  He was always in a hurry and nothing would stop him.

Years went by and a family pet arrived. Sunshine the big white golden retriever was constantly at Scotty's side. She went where he went.   The pair walked for miles and miles. They would be gone for hours and frequently had family, friends and neighbours all on a wild goose chase to find them.  When all seemed lost the pair would be seen happily walking up the street as happy as Larry without a care in the world. They had ,had a fun day playing together and were oblivious to all of the fuss.

A baby brother arrived and Scotty then had a little tear-around mate to join in the fun. His little brother proved to be quite wonderful entertainment and Scotty took to him as any proud brother would do.
The sister would then spend hours each afternoon finding the two boys and the big white fluffy dog playing at numerous places.

One afternoon Scotty had been gone for quite some time, he was about 14 and had taken his beloved dog with him for more escapades. Goodness knows where too this time. The Mummy and Daddy were about to go out hunting for them when a kind neighbour called to tell them that Scotty and Sunshine were up at the local shopping mall going up and down in the elevator and were refusing to let anybody get in.  They had been doing this for a couple of hours and people were beginning to think that he couldn't get out.
Oh no that was never the case, It was more along the lines of Scotty and Sunshine not wanting to share all the fun with anybody else !

Scotty absolutely adored his beautiful Grandmother. He would spend weekends with her having sleepovers and she slowly taught him how to recognise words. She would sit there patiently for hours and knew every single player of the football league by name as this was his one great love in his life....football.  Together the two spent many amazing hours together. She was so special to him.

So years trod on by like they always do and Scotty grew older. He welcomed 5 little nieces and nephews and took his proud Uncle title very seriously. He would ride bikes and skateboards with his nephews and loved to watch them play sport on Saturday mornings.  He would hold them tenderly when they were babies, the love for them was very obvious.
He was still working his job at the local university mowing the grounds. He was beginning to slow down in his work as he was now in his twilight years.  Downs Syndrome doubles the body in age. He was 39 with the body of a 78 year old. 

Scotty loves to travel. He has a very well stamped passport and has been to many different places. He performs in a dance troupe which one day took him to Disneyland. A very  big achievement and one that he is especially proud of.  He loves his friends very much, he has known many of them since school days. Many others have since passed on, but Scotty was one of the lucky ones. He had been spared the heart condition which many Downs people have. He is happy and healthy and enjoys his life to the fullest.
His days of wandering off on adventures have all since passed much to his parents relief, but the memories of those early days bring much laughter. Raising Scotty was no easy exercise, that is for certain, but the happy memories of his escapades and adventures leave all concerned in fits of laughter every time they talk about it. 

Scotty is a wonderful example of just how fabulously one can live their life. He lives and loves with every inch of his heart. He has faced many hurdles in his life, some physical but some from other people. The human race is not always kind. Somehow though, Scotty walks on with a smile on his face. He does not suffer fools and chooses wisely who he spends time with. He walks forward in his life and never, ever looks back. He lives in the now, not in the then......something most people spend most of their lives trying to achieve.

Scotty is a proud citizen of the human race and one person whom I will be ever so grateful for knowing. He has taught me so much about life and love.  He taught me very early in my life about people. I learnt  that some people were just not worth bothering about. If they judged my beautiful Scotty then they could all just go and jump in the lake. He was my brother and I would do  anything for him. The years of fishing his bikes and balls out of creeks and drains now leave me with smiles and not frowns as they did at the time.  These years hold memories that most sisters could never dream of.

I am so proud of you Scotty, you are a beautiful soul and I love you with every single beat of my heart.
I am so incredibly blessed to call you my brother

Happy Birthday....may your life be always filled with sunshine and laughter
                                                   xo