Remembering Noreen by Kathleen Dunham (Author)
I choose to read Remembering Noreen because it is a story of sisters and a family dealing with health issues which would teach me ways to deal with my sister in law who also have Cerebral Palsy. I was able to put myself in the parents shoes because before Charlie was born the doctor thought he might have been born with Down Syndrome and they wanted David and I to decided to continue with the pregnancy or not.
I knew the LORD was giving me my son for a reason and no, matter what I was going to have him. I PRAYED and believed it was all in the LORDS hands and thank the LORD I have a perfect baby boy and his only problem was a hole in his hear he quickly out grew. But these parents daughter would never get better but they never gave up on her or institutionalize which they could have.
I know Noreen had a hard life living with her sister and her problems but throughout the book you can see how much she loved her family. I just hate that they couldn’t find the services they needed to help her out. I love the influence she left on her family and friends which my daughter Suzzie did as well after being killed in a car accident.
Every parent, doctor and nurse needs to read Remembering Noreen and to share this amazing book with everyone they know. Even though its for parents I shared the story with Charlie and he was as moved as I was and so was David. The story has brought us closer together and has helped us deal with people in a more compassionate and caring way and will do you the same way.
About the book:
Four-year-old Kathleen Dunham loved her baby sister months before she was born. Although her father once told her that everyone has a purpose in life, Kathleen had no idea that she would find her purpose with Noreen’s entrance into the world.
After Noreen’s doctor diagnosed her with severe physical and mental disabilities and suggested that her parents institutionalize her, they shunned his recommendation and brought her home where they lovingly cared for her until their deaths. As Kathleen leads others through Noreen’s life from birth and through her last days fighting brain cancer, she vividly describes their challenges as the family learned there were few services available to help Noreen as she battled Cerebral Palsy, how she came to unconditionally accept her sister, and ultimately witnessed the beautiful rewards and miracles that accompanied living with her best friend.
Remembering Noreen chronicles the life of a gentle soul with an intellectual disability and her remarkable influence on her family and those she met on her journey through life, as told by her sister.
Thank you
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
