JEANNE

PHOTO BY RANDY BACON

JEANNE

“Purely Unconditional Love”

(Story written by Jeanne's niece, Jennifer)

Growing up with an aunt who has down syndrome, Jeanne was always a joy to be around.

My grandma, Jeanne’s mother, passed away when I was 5. So Jeanne went into a group home in Florida when she was 13. When I got older I would drive to visit aunt Jeanne and I took her shopping, took her out to eat, she would spend the night at our house...we became very close. The conditions at her group home deteriorated and I realized that she was not safe there, so I brought her to live closer to our family in Kansas City.

Jeanne is so special because she has such a big heart. She doesn't see the bad in anybody, she sees the good. She is always happy and always bubbly no matter what is going on. She just has such a positive outlook. Jeanne is also brutally honest and has no problem telling you what she thinks, but she never means any harm and is always just a genuine person and cares about everybody.

Probably one of the best memories I have with Jeanne was her 50th birthday. She is an 80’s girl and she loves Michael Jackson. So we had a Michael Jackson impersonator come to Jeanne’s party. It was so cool- when Jeanne saw him she was so happy and surprised, she started crying! I remember her saying, “Why is water coming out of my eyes!?”. We danced all night long.

My relationship with Jeanne is so precious and I love her because even if I am in a terrible mood or if I’m sad, the minute I see her she is so happy and wants to give hugs, she wants to have a dance party. She just makes me feel good inside. I know my 4 kids feel it too because they love being with Aunt Jeanne. It’s just unconditional love.

I think that people with Down don’t let the weight of the world take them down. They love unconditionally, which is something that a lot of people have forgotten how to do. Jeanne has her quirks like we all do and can be a bit stubborn, but I want people to focus on the love that she has. Jeanne is just a good person and she sees everyone else that way too. Jeanne is purely unconditional love.