Doctors advised Austin Underwood’s parents to expect nothing from their baby. Twenty-nine years later, he has proven them wrong. He’s been to college, lives independently and, best of all, wakes up happy every day.

By Mary Rogers in the [Fort Worth, Texas] Star-Telegram:

Twenty-nine-year-old Austin Underwood, who has Down syndrome, has beaten the odds to carve out a life for himself in Fort Worth, Texas. A doctor told his parents to “put him away,” but their dream for him was the same as for his siblings. They wanted all their babies to become caring, mature and independent adults. An excerpt:

He pays his way in the world with money he earns as a supermarket bagger combined with a disability check. His parents have made financial arrangements for his future, but his mother says she hasn’t given him money in years.

He shares an apartment with a roommate, cleans, cooks and volunteers at a nonprofit resale shop. He walks to work and to the movies, occasionally takes the train to Dallas to see a girlfriend and sometimes flies to New York City to visit his brother.

He remembers other people’s birthdays, worries about his weight, wants to look good in a swimsuit and likes to get dressed up. He would wear a tuxedo every day of the week if he could.

Best of all, he says he gets up happy every day.

The story is accompanied by a captivating slideshow of Austin’s life, and his recipe for banana pudding.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 16th, 2008 at 3:42 pm and is filed under Down syndrome, NOT2BEMISSED, employment, families, independent living, institutionalization, success stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post