Chip

Chip works in the building where I work, but we do not work in the same office. He rides the train in. I know this because of the boarding I.D. he has attached to his badge that he wears around his neck.

 

I see him in the break room. He sits on the left hand side, second table in, near the ice machine. I see him at 11:15am, five days a week.  Everyday, for the last year.

He usually has a heat and serve type meal, sometimes a sandwich, all carefully packed in his black lunch bag.

 

Chip dresses better than 70% of the men in the building. He's quite dapper, dress shirt, pressed pants and a tie. I think Marvin the Martian is my favorite. Most of the other guys in the group look like they just rolled out of bed and threw on the closest t-shirt.

 

At first glance, he appears much younger than he is, but Chip is a favorite with all the ladies. Maybe it has something to do with his flashy smile, or the fact that he always cleans up the table before he leaves. He is a highly responsible person. I hear his boss giving him compliments frequently. I'm not sure how old he is, but maturity is not always chronologically related.

 

Chip is unique. Chip also has Down Syndrome.

 

 About 1 in every 1000 births result in a child with Down's. Age of the mother increases the odds, but make no mistake, Down Syndrome knows no economic or ethnic boundaries.

 

Prior 1960, almost all children with Trisomy 21 were placed in an institution. Parents, educators and other professionals fought to have these children be a part of inclusive environment and concluded that it would be beneficial for their development and well being. Before 1980, the life expectancy of a person with Down Syndrome was 25. Today it is around 49.

 

 

 

Chip is proof positive that being a part of society is better than being shuttered away. He has become what every parent's hope is, that their child is a responsible, caring and productive person.

 

Development of amniocentesis has allowed parents to learn early on whether or not their child will have Down's. It is estimated that world wide, 40% of pregnancies with a diagnosis, choose to abort.

 

 Given all the odds, Chip truly is a "special person.".

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Otter]

Well done JC, another short read that makes us think, and brings tears to our eyes. I had a second cousin with Downs, I drifted away from that side of the family and I don't really know how long David lived.