Meet Joanne and Mark Downing, parents to Matthew, 18, known as Mattie, who has cerebral palsy, and his siblings Katherine, 20, and Andrew, 17.

“The greatest thing about Matthew is that he’s such a happy guy all the time,” Mark says. “He really lives life in the moment, you know, as you often hear people say you should. He enjoys most aspects of his life. He doesn’t worry about things. He doesn’t fuss about the future…He brings your spirits up.”

Matthew, who uses a communication device, is in high school, and attends arts and music programs at Holland Bloorview several times a week. He loves woodworking in our Spiral Garden arts camp, and has a fabulous sense of humour. “I’d say probably the biggest thing is just …the joy,” says Matthew’s brother Andrew, when asked to describe their relationship. “Every time I come home, he’s the first voice I hear, yelling my name.”

Joanne says finding places that Matthew can get into in his wheelchair has been a big challenge. She worries about what life will be like when he ages out of school. “I fear that Matthew’s life will not be as meaningful if he’s not continuing to learn, or he’ll be isolated,” she says. “It will be hard for him. It will be hard for us, to be honest.” Joanne says she’s proud of the work she does to educate other parents as a family leader at Holland Bloorview.

A Family Like Mine is a video series about diverse families raising children with disabilities, produced by BLOOM, a blog on parenting kids with disabilities from Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. Visit us at www.hollandbloorview.ca/bloom