How To Be A Team

Throughout our lives we all encounter special people. My life was changed forever following the passing of a man very special to me. My "Uncle" Jody was a downsyndromed man that my family and I have taken care since I was born. At the time of his passing Jody was sixty five years old. Jody lived a long and rewarding life. The impact that Jody had on many peoples lives was immense and immeasurable. Jody Snell will never be forgotten because he had the innocence of a child, he always beat the odds, and he loved everyone he ever met.

Jody Snell was born into this world on June 14th 1942. He was born with a genetic condition known as down syndrome. At the time of Jody's birth this condition was relatively unknown, and his future was up in the air. The doctors had no idea what his mental capabilities would be, and no one expected the impact that his initial "deficiencies" would make for many memorable moments for years to come.

Unquestionably, Jody was born to a family who cared and loved him. His mother became a stay at home mother and cared for him immensely on a daily basis. Jody was the oldest of his three siblings and he was always their big brother. Jody was a big protector, who cared for them more than anything. However as time went on, the other children aged both physically and mentally. Due to his condition, Jody always stayed at about the age of five in terms of his mental capacity.

While most teenagers had already figured out the truth about Santa Clause, Jody Snell never stopped believing. Jody never stopped trying to figure out what he was going to receive from Santa Clause. He would always sit around the tree and violently shake his presents in order to try and figure out what he was receiving. He spoke in curiosity, often wondering aloud "How does Santa manage to deliver all of the presents to all kids of the world?"

Each and every Christmas Eve, Jody would sit up and try to wait and see Santa Clause come in. We always had to be careful, because Jody was very alert and easily awakened by loud noises. So as we brought in the presents, one of us stayed by Jody's bedroom door to make sure he could not come out while we placed the gifts. We could hear Jody sleeping restlessly as he lay dreaming of what Santa brought him when he awoke in the morning.

Jody would always wait for Santa for another reason as well. Anytime Jody received a gift, he would always look to give it to someone he saw as less fortunate. Jody was not a selfish person, and loved giving as much as receiving. He would exclaim "Holy Smokies" as he walked into the room and saw the presents that Santa had left him. But in his mind other people needed the presents more. He would always say "I have two, and I want you to have one of mine." The generosity and innocence that Jody Snell demonstrated was something that I will never be able to forget. His condition of being a grown up child is something that perhaps we should all take a page from. After all, none of us are as pure in heart as a child.

Undoubtedly, Jody Snell was an inspiration to me when it came to beating the odds. At the time of his birth, Jody Snell was given one year to live. His parents were given the option of institutionalizing Jody at a very early age. However, Jody's parents decided that if the Lord meant for Jody to be "special" then he was perfect in their eyes. Their determination to make Jody's life as normal as possible is very inspiring, and speaks to the true character of both Jody's parents.

As the years passed, doctors examined Jody and found little cause for optimism. His heart was already weak by the time he was five and the future did not look bright. However, Jody was always jovial. Many doctors boldly predicted