Hello! I’m Julia, and my twin brother Michael was my inspiration to begin a blog. Everyone with Down Syndrome has different abilities, Michael is completely non-verbal. However, that doesn’t stop him from enlightening those around him with his kindness and happiness.
While growing up with Michael, it never occurred to me that he was disabled. I knew he was different from other children, but that didn’t make me love him any less.
Although he’s nonverbal, Michael and I fully understand each other, and he has an incredible sense of feeling for others.
While my mom was pregnant with Michael, her body was rejecting him, and she was on bed rest towards the end of her pregnancy. My parents had no idea that one of the babies would have Down Syndrome. When we were born, mom recognized that Michael’s cry sounded different, and she was told the news shortly right after. To her, Michael and I were still perfect, no matter the difference.
Michael did come with his own line of health issues and required open heart surgery when we were only a few months old. Since we were twins, you could easily see the differences between us while growing up. I started walking at 9 months, while Michael couldn’t until he was 3.
Michael and I loved to play outside. I understood that he was a little different, but that never bothered me. We would always go on walks together while holding hands, and we loved adventuring outside. I’ll never forget the days we used to build couch forts in the living room and watch the stars at night together through the window.
Michael lacks the ability to communicate verbally. When we were almost a year old, he did attempt to say a few words, but that only lasted for a few weeks. As of now, he mainly hums/grunts a lot if something’s going on. His fine motor skills are also a little weak, so, unfortunately, he cannot do sign language.
Growing up, Michael and I went to separate schools, so that he could attend a better special education program. We did go to the same high school, which made it awesome to get to see Michael more. He did have a rough time transitioning to the new environment his first year, but the helpers in the classroom were all so awesome to Michael. Everyone was always so sweet to Michael, and he loved it!
There used to be times where I’d wonder what life would be like if Michael didn’t have Down Syndrome, or if I had it instead. Nowadays I avoid having that perspective, due to the small amount of guilt that can come with those thoughts.
Honestly, it’s always better to have a more grateful/positive perspective, and I’ve truly been blessed with Michael’s presence throughout my life. I could go on and on about all of the things that he’s taught myself and my family, but I believe the most important ones are perspective and acceptance.
As for the future, I’m not too sure what to expect. I chose to attend UCSD because it’s close to home, and I get to see Michael on the weekends. Even though it’s my 3rd year away from home, Michael still has a hard time being away from me. I’d love to attend medical school to become a doctor specialized in Functional Medicine, but getting into medical school in California can be very difficult. As a child I’d always dream of getting a house large enough to have Michael live in his own part of it, but if anything Michael may live in a home with other adults with developmental disabilities. In that case, I would ideally live very close to him so I could see him on a weekly basis. Whatever the future holds, I still want to remain close to Michael and watch him grow, and couldn’t have been more blessed with his presence.
Michael has helped open my eyes towards the disabled community and erase any negativity that could be associated with them. I am beyond grateful for having him in my life, and I strive to show others how much of a blessing he is, all in order to disband the negative image surrounding the disabled population in today’s society.
Julia attends college in California with hopes to one day enter the medical field. You can follow along her and Micheal’s adventures by the ocean (a place he loves) on her blog Beyond the Waves
Leave a Reply