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The Lion and the Lamb
(By Renee Rupe, Aurora, Colorado)
When is the last time you
encountered a 14 year old boy who loves to hug? A young man who
still wants to be tucked in at night and comes to you and says,
"Mom, if you ever need a friend, I will be there for you.
any problem you have in the day, just tell me about it and I will
be there for you"? Is there such a thing as a 14 year old
boy who actually cares about his parents? The answer is yes, and
he is my son, I am proud to say.
My son Kyle, is very unique. He is thoughtful and kind. He helps
children in wheelchairs. He helps take care of his 4 year old
brother. He loves computers. He has intuition. And, oh yes, he
has Klinefelter's syndrome plus. His karotype is 48 XXYY.
But do we measure a person by how many chromosomes they have?
Should I point out how many "dis" abilities he has or
should I tell you , as I have, about his unique "A"
bilities? I think you know the answer already. A person is not
what they cannot do, a person is what they are. And you, as a
parent, are a parent regardless.
Some people would say I am telling you too many good things.
Don't get me wrong, my life with Kyle has been difficult. He has
every single Klinefelter's symptom, including the extreme
behaviorial problems. He can roar like a lion, the next minute be
as calm as a lamb. but what makes him different that a whole lot
of people I have met in this world is he still has a heart of
gold. He loves deeply, he is loyal to those who accept him and he
trusts that people are good. Many normal adults do not have those
capacities.
Kyle was not diagnosed until he was 11. All his life, we knew
there had to be some kind of reason for his strange symptoms. The
diagnosis added more things we needed to know, some of which
broke my heart. We have all received the same literature, and you
know which parts are most distressing. I am very grateful to have
actually found what was wrong though, so we can help Kyle to
watch himself for other things regarding his health. An aweful
lot of men go through their lives not knowing they have
Klinefelter's. As the geneticist told us, many times he sees
those men when they are unable to have children and looking for
answers.
Klinefelter's will test even the best marriage. From teh
beginning, a couple must learn how to make only ONE decision in
any situation and stick by each other. How is that different than
parenting normal kids? Well, judging from my own upbringing...it
isn't.
If you need to know only one thing before you have a child with
Klinefelter's syndrome, it's that Love is unconditional. I love
my lion and I love my lamb and thank God he is in this world
becasue without my Kyle, the world would be missing one
delightful soul who has a mission in this world I may not
understand, but I sure do respect him for accepting it.
Contact me by E-mail here
Renee also has her own web site...check it out!
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