I will call her J for the privacy of her family. She came to the pool I worked at all the time during the summer wearing spider man googles. She was adorable, happy, and above all healthy.
While we like to pretend that people with disabilities are now viewed as equal in our society the fact is that this is just not true. J could still be alive today if she was given proper medical attention, which didn't happen most likely because of her disability.
When her mother first brought her to the ER they blew it off as her having the flu. If they had listened to her that it was something more serious J could have been saved.
This is not the only instance of doctors not taking people with disabilities medical concerns seriously. My older sister this past year had been acting strange and my family KNEW something was wrong. Every doctor we saw (Getting doctors to see her was challenging too) said that she was just "depressed." We knew it was something more serious than that.
Me and My big sister Emy
Finally we found someone who took our concerns seriously and after tests found out that she has alzheimers. Which is very common among people with Down Syndrome. She is now being treated for it and while there is no cure we can at least hope to slow it's progression and make sure she is never in pain.
People with mental disabilities are just as valuable as those born without extra challenges. This means they deserve the exact same medical attention as "normal" people.
Please pray for J and her family in this difficult time and be aware of the inequality in how people with disabilities are treated.
Thank you,
Hayley
