Loving Andrew

“Loving Andrew” was, and is, a well written and
eye-opening true story. In “Loving Andrew” Romy Wyllie, the book’s author has
provided the reader with an unflinchingly real look at what it is like to have
a child with a challenging disability.

Andrew, Romy’s son, was born in 1959. However, due to his
being born with Down Syndrome, he might as well have been born during the dark
ages since that’s about how knowledgeable and understanding a 1959 society was
in their acceptance of disabled children. In fact, Romy had not even seen her
son after giving birth to him before she and her husband were being counseled
to institutionalize him since he was “mongoloid.” That was the “norm” in those
days as it was apparently better to have any non-standard children kept out of
sight/out of mind rather than deal with the social non-acceptance.

Thankfully for Andrew and for those of us lucky enough to
read this book, his parents opted to take him home with them. They didn’t
understand how something that they had created from love could really be bad.

What follows in “Loving Andrew” is an eye-opening journey.
Romy skillfully shares their ups and downs as well as their trials and
tribulations. She, and others like her, has spent their lives working
tirelessly to bring a better understanding of Down syndrome to this, and future
generations.

Thankfully due to their diligent efforts in an unforgiving
world where being disabled can be a curse, Down Syndrome no longer carries the
stigma it once did. Parents no longer need to be ashamed of their children nor
do they need to hide them away anymore.

A must read for anyone who seeks a better understanding of
Down Syndrome.

Loving Andrew
Romy Wyllie
CreateSpace (2012)
ISBN: 9781478298342
Reviewed by Charline Ratcliff for RebeccasReads (4/13)

• Posted in: Memoir | Biography ♦ Parenting | Families | Relationships