This is my brother Wessel, the youngest one of my six brothers and sisters. He lives in Bergeijk near the Belgian border, south of Eindhoven, in a house where he is taken care of together with six other people who are mentally deprived. His brothers and sisters, living scattered throughout the country, come to visit him every two weeks, each time another brother/sister. He is sixteen years younger than I am, his eldest brother. His parents passed away after one another with a couple of years in-between. He wonderfully overcame these sad events. Tomorrow I am going to bring to him a new radio, one that’s especially designed for being used at construction work, extra strong, to be resistant against Wessel’s treatments (see below). On the picture he is drinking tea with me during our way to my house in Hurdegaryp, which is four hours driving from his house. He loves drinking tea, preferably “with something” (met wat erbij”) such as a piece of cake or pie, but we are careful with that: eating is one of his hobbies but he is aware of the dangers so when we say that we ‘ll take that piece of pie another time he understands. Another hobby of his is music: Elvis Presley and André Rieu are among his Favourites. Furthermore he likes theatre plays in which he often plays, but watching them is also very OK. As most people with Down’s syndrome he is very sociable, and likes company very much. He mostly tries to draw your attention by asking if you are married, if you have children etc. when you are a stranger and we always have to inform him where something he finds interesting can be bought, where it was manufactured, and what you can use it for. He likes to do little household tasks such as preparing food (under supervision), mowing the lawn, dressing the table etc. He lives from one nice event to another such as a birthday, Christmas (when he uses to stay with us), Sinterklaas (a Dutch present-giving tradition on 5 December, from which “Santaclaus” is originated – the Dutch traditionally exchange presents on Sinterklaas instead of 25 December), “trucking day” (truckers give him a lift in their truck), the fancy fair, carnival, “motorbike day” (trips with motorbikers) etc. etc. so he is constantly looking forward. He doesn’t like working, just like many other people. His work is on the children’s farm where he feeds the cattle, cleans the stables etc. He is very important for us. When our parents were still alive, we brothers and sisters used to see each other mostly at family events with our parents, but since they have passed away he has become one of the main reasons to have contact with one another. 
2 comments:
My husband has a foster-brother with Down's Syndrome. Ricky's birth mother didn't want to keep him, so he became a ward of the government. Dave's mom took him home when he was just a couple of days old and he's been in the family ever since. He lives in a group home now, since Dave's parents are too elderly to care for him full-time.
My pastor's youngest son, Brandon, also has Down's Syndrome. He is friendly and he has a great sense of humor. Ricky and Brandon have taught me a lot about what it truly means to be human.
Evie, thanks for this comment. It's really a shock for every mother to get a child with Down's syndrome, and we shouldn't be too quick with an opinion on how these mothers "should" react to it. My mother was over-protecting, there was always first Wessel and we other children always had to listen to long stories about him, she wasn't interested in anything else. Only 5, 6 years before she died she took interest in grandchildren and grand-grandchildren, and my father beared a real burden, often fleeing into restoration of antique furniture and violins. But we shouldn't blame her, nobody who hasn't experienced it can tell about how a mother "should" behave in situations like these. The only thing I really regret is that it is a matter of discussion nowadays whether or not giving birth to a Down-child is "justified", for me there is no discussion about it.Down-people are really social people, always positive and we can learn a lot from them in the way we deal with others.
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