Remembering Noreen
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She was a happy baby, and for my parents there was comfort in her happiness. Perhaps the difficulties of life would not be hers. The joys and wonders of childhood would be hers evermore. It was their undertaking to guarantee that they would provide her security and well-being during her years with them. This is not to say that they did not realize that challenges would need to be overcome, but they did know that they would carry on through them and we all would be better for the course.
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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.
About the Author
Kathleen Dunham has been an educator for over forty years that includes work in early childhood, special education, and at the university level. She lives in Michigan with her husband where she is currently writing a children's book about the importance of acceptance and inclusion of disabled individuals of all ages. Dr. Dunham’s sister, Noreen, died on April 23, 2017 at age sixty-two.