A Different Kind of Normal, Part 4
Written By Charlotte Meryman
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This activism surprises even Michelle. During Jimmy's early years she studiously avoided other families with kids like her son. She waited eight months to call the other family in town whose older child shares his rare chromosomal disorder. "I was terrified of seeing 9p minus in the flesh," she says. But now, she declares, "my biggest asset is networking." Networking has always come naturally to Jim. Friendly and unassuming, he grew up in East Longmeadow and knows the region's movers and shakers. This past spring he joined the board of The Association for Community Living, which helps those with developmental disabilities. People are still buzzing about a speech he made at the association's fund-raiser kickoff. He talked about his overwhelming first days as Jimmy's dad, and how he asked the doctor three questions: Will my child go to college? Will he play sports? And most important: Will he be able to love? The doctor said, "It all depends."
For all our children, Jim told the crowd, it all depends — on how well their interventions and therapies work, how much they are accepted in their schools and communities, whether they get the support they need to grow and connect. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.
Michelle's more a doer than a speaker. Last summer she set up a soccer clinic for kids with special needs — Jimmy proved surprisingly good at dribbling the ball. She's also helping launch an after-school program for kids like Jimmy at the Springfield Jewish Community Center. And she is part of a new special education parent advisory council in the Longmeadow schools.
It's a lot. And truth be told, this pregnancy (with its morning — and afternoon and evening — sickness) is slowing her down considerably. Still, "you can sit there and complain about not having these things available for your child," says Michelle firmly, "or you can do something about it. If it wasn't for those parents before me and Jim, society might still believe that the best place for Jimmy is in an institution."
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