[chainsaw]

I think it was last weekend, I watched "The Teachings of Jon" on PBS. It was an amazing story about a couple that had a down syndrome child. Through the advice of a doctor sent him to an institution right after he was born. This doctor also told them that he wouldn’t live past age 5. Six years later (they hadn’t seen him the whole time) the woman who was caring for him died. Apparently the “institution” was just one lady and him. He had been confined to a crib his whole life so he was never taught to walk, talk or eat anything but baby food. He couldn’t even drink through a straw. The parents had had three other children since Jon. They brought him home to live with them and began to teach him how to live. Jon is now 40 years old. Still lives with his parents and is very close to his siblings. He never learned to speak properly and communicates mostly through hand signals and claps. Despite his past, he seems to be a happy guy. And his parents, though guilt ridden, have a very good since of humor about it all and are beginning to plan for Jon’s life after they pass.