As regular readers of Living with Linda will know, Linda came to live with us (Meg and Beth) when her Dad (and Meg’s) died very suddenly. Losing her father so suddenly, being uprooted from her home, her other siblings, nieces and nephews, and a growing number of great-nieces and great-nephews would have been traumatic enough […]
Service Cuts hit home
Linda, as an adult with Williams Syndrome, is able to access the services provided for those with learning disabilities in our local area. For 9 months she has been attending a “Cooking with Confidence” class one evening a week and has made many absolutely delicious dishes over that time. Supported by an Agency Assistant she […]
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 […]
The Lizard Whisperer
People with Williams Syndrome are often drawn to subjects, almost obsessively. Sometimes the subjects are inanimate, often mechanical – fans, planes, radios. Other times they are very animate, people (of course), animals and young/babies are often a particular source of fascination. Linda loves animals and has books and books and books about them. She’s usually […]
With An Eye to the Future
Linda looks forwards to things… Meeting people, birthdays, pocket money day or her next meal. All seem to be anticipated with equal, sometimes intense excitement. One of the things that I have grown accustomed to is sitting down to a long anticipated meal, sometimes something that in it’s own right was celebrated as a special […]
Sunglasses galore!
Linda is going on holiday. For a few days she is going to visit her brother and she is so looking forward to this. Adults with Williams Syndrome are known for being very friendly and this seems to be even more exaggerated when the focus is family. As this is a holiday where we hope […]
Where Did I Go To?
I celebrated a birthday recently, not decimal nor particularly significant, it just marked the passing of another year. As it approached I received an email from a friend I’d not heard from for some time and she asked me all the usual “How are you? What’s been happening?” type of questions that you do when […]
Systems that Work for a Williams Syndrome Adult
Have you ever read the book ‘The One Minute Millionaire’ by Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen? It’s filled with great ideas and ‘Aha’ moments. If you haven’t read it yet, I can heartily recommend it, whether you actually want to make “a million” or not. It really is a book about abundance and the […]