Since Monday things have calmed down. I don’t think for one moment that Linda has really learned the lesson. I expect that managing her food intake will probably get more difficult and I’ve no idea what will happen to her ability to tell lies with an innocent smile, but a line must be drawn. Now […]
Honestly Sister!
What a day! For Linda is was last day of term at her numeracy and literacy classes. She’s been attending these for a year now and certainly has improved. You can read her writing now, most of the time! More importantly, she actually took a maths exam some weeks ago and was eagerly awaiting the […]
Nothing Less Than Perfect
Williams Syndrome, that cocktail party personality, sweet and friendly. People rarely tell you about the compulsive and persistent aspects of that story! Linda is over 40 but in many ways delights in the same things as a 4yr old. For some time she’s been lusting after a bicycle… not possible due to her lack of […]
Listening to Music With Linda
Many of the symptoms of Williams Syndrome are well known to parents and carers: distractability, short attention span, ADHD-like symptoms. We also know of their musicality, tendancy to sing, shout or squeal with delight, to jiggle and dance and twitch with life… Well, in the words of the Porgy and Bess song, it ain’t neccesarily […]
How to Earn a Quick Buck!
In the post yesterday I was dreading the fact that Linda didn’t have enough money to buy her newspaper today… We had several goes at “Sister, can I ask you a question?” followed by “Oh, no. Sorry, I haven’t got enough money to buy a paper.”. We passed the newsagent as we went out and […]
All Out of Money
Following the Buried Under Paper episode, I’ve just realised that I’m facing an even bigger crisis tomorrow. We give Linda enough money each week to buy her agreed newspapers and magazines, to pay for various classes or events and to buy a drink and a snack as needed each day with a little left over […]
For you on Sunday!
I was up first this morning… Linda and Beth had declared their desire to have a restful morning so I let them lie in their beds as I came down and started to mooch around doing Sunday morning stuff. I’d settled down to check emails and updates on Facebook when I heard a voice at […]
What Does Williams Syndrome Mean?
Linda, my sister, is a woman in her 40s. For more than 10 years I have suspected she has Williams Syndrome. Nine months ago a FISH test finally confirmed that Linda has Williams Syndrome. Since then I’ve certainly discussed this with Linda on many occasions. I’ve even tried to explain about a genetic deletion using […]
All At Sea
Aboard the ferry on the journey home… The low rumble of the engines alerts me to the fact that we are have left our berth and are under way. The journey home has started. Linda gazes out of a window at the sea… “You should see this!” she exclaims. “We’re moving!” Her excitement is palpable […]
A Worthy Prize for a Williams Syndrome Adult?
For most of her life, Linda has never handled money. As an adult with Williams Syndrome she was, typically, very poor with any numerical concepts. Counting up in ones was about the limit of her skills. When it came to money, every item in the world could be bought with a one pound coin or […]