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November is Family Caregiver Awareness Month!

ATTENTION! Family caregivers all over the world…November is your month. November is Family Caregiver Awareness Month! It’s our time guys! To each and every one of you who has taken on the role of being the primary caregiver for your family member(s) who has Down Syndrome…whether you’re a mommy, daddy, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, grandma, …

Advice For Parents – From A Sibling

This year for Down Syndrome Awareness Month, I decided to approach things differently. I wrote an article that gave advice to siblings of persons who have Down Syndrome, making the siblings aware of certain things that they, as caregivers, should seriously consider. Out of that article, came the request for me to write a similar …

Caregivers Are Heroes

It is National Heroes’ Day here in Jamaica and when I think about real, everyday heroes, I can’t help but think about caregivers. Who is a hero, you may ask? Well, according to Merriam Webster, a hero is “an illustrious warrior”, “one who shows great courage” and “a person admired for noble qualities”. Guys, based …

I Do Not Want To Be A Caregiver

I never asked for this. I am a sibling who over time became the primary caregiver for my younger sister who has Down Syndrome. I have no children of my own and I am not married. So, one would think that I should be, as the song goes, “free, single and disengaged”. I should be …

I Want To Run Away

I have fantasized about running away. Just packing it all up and moving to some corner of the world, away from all my family. Why? Because I want no one else’s responsibilities but my own. My personal responsibilities are enough. On days when some dramatic scene unfolds, I fantasize about knowing what it feels like …

happy young siblings running and playing

Happy Siblings Day – Celebrate YOU!

Happy Siblings Day to those brothers and sisters known as “Sibs”. You are a “Sib” if you grew up with a brother or sister who has a disability. We are sometimes called “The Others”. We are our parents’ other children…and some of us really had experiences that led us to feel as if the attention …

woman feeling proud and happy

Focus on the Ability, Not the Disability

Down Syndrome is what I call a visible disability…as they see the person, they see the disability, and of course every preconceived notion presents itself. Something happened the other day that reminded me why it’s important for all of us to focus on the ability of a person and not the disability that they happen …

man and woman on a date in the park

Sexual Assault Awareness Month – I Ask

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month in the US and the theme for this year is ‘I Ask’. This year’s theme is all about consent…why it’s important to ask for someone’s consent, how to ask for consent and respecting if someone says “No”. What Is Consent? Consent is basically asking for someone’s permission to do …

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