On the 8th day of Christmas I'd like to introduce ...

the late Deanna Sipaco

Another inspiring individual who was sadly born with  a heart defect at a time before corrective surgery was widely available with positive outcomes.  

Deanna, a talented artist,  (pictured here with Sue Buckley from DownsEd) died in September 2005 at the age of 33, leaving behind her not only her artwork but also a legacy in the form of the DS (Deanna Sipaco) Foundation for the Differently Abled.

  

 

This non-profit organisation started by her parents on Deanna's 29th birthday, continues to cater for the social and self-actualisation needs of people with special needs.  Deanna started painting at the age of 9 and the Foundation Centre now displays a number of her paintings that look like a kaleidoscopic blast of flowers in vibrant colors, as well as paintings and doodles of children with Down’s Syndrome.

During her lifetime, Deanna was also invited to various national and international events including the World Down Syndrome Congress in Singapore in 2004 where I was lucky enough to meet and chat with her.    Her art was colourful and vibrant and Deanna was very enthusiastic about it, but sadly her underlying heart condition was very obvious and it was to be this that resulted in her early death.

You can see a video of more of her artwork here.

At the World Congress in 2009, Down Syndrome International acknowledged Deanna's contribution to people with Down Syndrome in the Philippines and the rest of the world by presenting an award which was accepted on Deanna's behalf by her parents, Diana and Alberto Sipaco.  

 “Receiving the award on behalf of our daughter brought us a sense of gain. It’s heartwarming that even if she is no longer with us, the world continues to recognize her for what she was and what she brought to other children with the same circumstance as she had.” her mother said.

On the 7th day of Christmas I'd like to introduce ...

the late Judith Scott

Although a sad story, I think this highlights how things have progressed for people with Down's Syndrome and as such I wanted to share it with you and thought it deserved a place here.  I also think that ultimately it had a happy ending which makes it worth reading.

Judith and twin sister Joyce were born on May 1st 1943 and for their first 7½ years they were virtually inseparable,  Then it was time for school and their parents were told that Judith was ineducable and recommended to place her in an institution.  Joyce awoke one morning to find the bed they shared was empty and the next time she saw Judith was in the institution.

At the institution following oral testing, Judith was assessed as having an IQ of only 30 and was therefore not offered any training.  Without Joyce, her childhood interpreter, she became severely alienated and developed behavioral issues but it was to be years before she was diagnosed as severely deaf explaining her communication problems.  Although the twins saw each other a few more times, eventually they lost contact.

In 1985, Joyce realised that by becoming her sisters legal guardian they could once again be close and after a struggle to locate her, Judith finally moved to California where she started going to the Creative Growth Art Center.  At first she was fairly uninterested in paint but a few months later she attended a fiber art class and suddenly a whole new world of expression opened up for Judith.  She was given complete freedom to choose her own materials and taking objects she would wrap them in carefully selected colored yarns to create diverse sculptures in many different shapes.  Many of her works also feature pairs indicating that her experience as a twin played an important part in her life.

Judith died peacefully in her sister’s arms at the age of 61, having outlived her life expectancy at birth by almost fifty years.  

Having already corresponded briefly with Joyce, I was excited to unexpectedly meet her at the World Congress in Dublin and to have the opportunity to view Outsider a film about Judith's life and work.  It was incredibly emotional to see her and Joyce together and the wonderful connection between them and wonderful to know that after the sadness of many years of separation that they were eventually reunited and shared quality time together.   You can read more of their incredible story and Judith's work here.