Update on Jan

[Guest guest]

It has been a very busy year. After four months of diligently training

and working out, Jan did the Hike for Discovery to raise funds for

leukemia research. The hike in the Grand Canyon was difficult for her,

but she never made a complaint. She didn't get quite as far as the rest

of the party because she was slow going down the very steep trail and

they wanted everyone out by 1 pm. Still, she was an inspiration for her

team leader who hiked with her.

Having Jan in an athletic event with non-disabled adults was a real

challenge and it took a while for them to accept her, but that

occurred. I believe that we gave the rest of the team and the leukemia

society some real sensitivity training.

Jan was one of the top fund raisers with almost $7000 raised in a

program that will provide millions of dollars for research. Thanks to

all who gave money and/or support.

After the hike, we continued with further hiking in Arizona and Utah,

some of the hikes being up very steep trails with big drop-offs. We had

a great time and returned home to find that the paperwork for her

apartment had been completed and that she could pick it up, get a check,

and pay the security deposit and first month's rent.

The apartment is a real win. It is a new studio in a building which is

all rent subsidized studios. There are a dozen developmentally delayed

in the group and all of them got the federal Section-8 rent subsidy

along with their apartment. That caps the rent at 30% of their income

which means that Jan can live on her social security and be financially

independent.

She is going to a workshop day program, something many of us might have

said that we'd never put our grown kids into. Well, Jan loves it. She

sees people she can relate to, works when there is work to be done and

takes classes when there isn't. She is the one who gets herself up at

six so she can be ready for Outreach, our public transportation for the

needy.

Jan also has a new Independent Life Skills counsellor. is

athletic, the first counsellor Jan ever had who wasn't a couch potato.

She also did a triathalon for Leukemia earlier this spring.

So things are good here. Jan has really been working on some of the

issues we have, whether it is dress, keeping clean, etc. She moved in

last Saturday and seems to be doing just fine, coping when things don't

go quite as expected.

Rick ... dad to 33 year old Jan .. yes she does have down syndrome, but

no leukemia any more