Vincent

Vincent

            After listening to the story of Vincent, you really think about hope, love and care. My dad works with many handicap and disabled kids. Some of the kids he works with have Downs Syndrome, which is similar to the Vincent Syndrome. I have gotten a chance to meet some of them; their minds work so differently than yours and mine, these kids really think outside the box. Not only has my dad worked with children with Downs, but I also have as well. There was a little kid named Josh, he sounded much like Vincent, hard to understand and always off in his own little world, it was always hard to get him to focus. The only way was to talk about his favorite thing, and that was trucks, which he could talk about anytime. I found this very similar to Vincent when he was able to state all the movies his dad named.

            It was surprising to me that Vincent had a job, most disabled people don’t get the opportunity to work. He obviously has been successful throughout his life playing many sports (training for the Special Olympics) and having a job, but amidst the hectic schedule are people who don’t understand him. I can’t imagine going throughout life, with people always having to help me do even the basic things in life, such as brushing my teeth. I tried to put myself in Vincent’s shoes, and I can see the frustration that Vincent went through, which may be why Vincent quit his job. The family said he just sat in his room wasting a way his life. All his brothers and sisters got the freedom to do as they pleased, so having someone tell you what to do like a child could be hard to deal with. Though having something to take care of would help Vincent with the challenges of his life. When the mom got the chickens for Vincent to take care of, it gave Vincent something to hope for, care and love. I think he just realized loving and caring for something is a good thing, and he accepted that. The chickens kind of started his life again for him, because immediately he got involved in some of his old sports again.

            Though this story is about a man with his own syndrome, the Vincent Syndrome, it all comes back to the word love. Love is something that brings people together, and the willingness that Vincent’s parents have towards him is inseparable. I really think that the parents made Vincent’s life worth living; they were the ones that truly understood him. The love and care each one gave to Vincent helped him cope with being “different.” Recently this week, a boy similar to Vincent pasted away, his parents were the kindest people you would ever meet, there were also the most caring. This family has four other boys besides Joseph, the child with Down Syndrome, but they always made him feel special, just like Vincent and his family. I often think about how hard it would be to take care of a child with such special needs, God really had to give you a gift, and this gift was obviously given to Vincent’s family.