A Wedding Story

Here is an account that I found of one of the few instances of a person with Down's getting married. In this case, both had Down's. I found it interesting to see how capable they were at functioning in society.

LAYNE AND SHAUNA'S LOVE STORY

"Shauna and I are married and we are very happy. We have a dog named Pal who lives with us in an apartment in our parents' basement. We both have brothers and sisters, but we live by ourselves with Pal. We are so happy now, and I have a beautiful wife. We believe in eternal marriage."

"A long time ago, I helped my Dad on his farm. Sometimes I drove the tractor, just like my brothers. Sometimes we made mistakes. Then we did not make the mistakes again. Five years ago I got my driver's license. I drive my Pontiac to work at J. C. Penney's. I have worked the more than 20 years. I am a good worker, I am a good driver, too."

"We learned about independent living through the Arc. We plan our own meals. We cook our own food. We like to find new recipes. Sometimes we buy frozen dinners. We like light desserts and low fat food. I weighed 197 pounds when we met. When we decided to date, I did not eat so much with my roommate. I weighed 158 pounds when we got married."

"Shauna does the laundry on Tuesdays. She irons our clothes when I am at work at Penney's. We help each other keep the house clean all week. Saturday is our cleaning day."

"I play the organ. Shauna plays the piano by heart. She is learning to read music too. We have music lessons on Friday. On Monday and Wednesday we go to Dixie College for evening classes. We like the computer too."

"We drive to the bank to deposit my check when I am paid on Friday. Then we drive to the store to do our shopping. We know how to use our checkbook. We are careful with our money because we are building our new home. My Dad helps us with that."

"Doctors said I would never walk or talk. People said I could never learn. They said I could never read. And some people still say people with a disability cannot be married. Me I think sometimes people are wrong."

"Marriage is not for everybody. It was right for us. People used to take care of us. Now we take care of each other. Shauna's family is my family. My family is Shauna's family. But now we are our own family. We like it that way. It is a lot of work, but it's worth it. Our families always there when we need help."

"Our most important message is: Do what is right. If it is important, never give it up. Go for it!"