Angleman Syndrome

Angelman Syndrome

Stupid Sayings by stupid people

Jonathan's nurse took him to Burger King yesterday as she has done many mornings.
As she left the counter the girl from the drive up walked over and commented that she wouldn't bring anything like that out in public.
Ya'll ,she was referring to my son.
His nurse sat him down and walked up to the counter and told the girl that God placed Jonathan in this world for a reason just like she was he was placed here for a reason.
I haven't addressed the situation yet.
Melissa said her instinct was to jump the counter and punch the girl.
I would have posted her bail!
"mild Angelman Sydrome" - writen on neurology report by a doctor who insisted Becca had hydrocephelus
"There's nothing wrong wth her, it's your lack of parenting skills" - said by a school psychologist who was mad at me for pulling Becca out of her school
"She's no longer severely retarded - only mildly delayed" - said by a school offcial who also put it in his report, which caused us to lose aide we were getting (isn't it great that there's a cure for mental retardation!LOL )
"You are no longer eligible for services because Becca isn't retarded enough" - said by our casewoker
"You need to be more understanding of other people's perceptions" - stated by a police officer after an altercation between my husband and 5 drunks who accused him of child abuse when he pulled Becca away from a store display before she could knock it down on top of her
"I've never heard of Angelman Syndrome, so I think we should run some tests to find out what's really wrong with her" - stated by doctor
"Tie her to the bus seat"- CPS official who arrived at our house after a teacher complained that Becca was arriving at school in an unkempt manner (this was because the bus driver would give Becca bottles on the bus - so he wouldn't have to listen to her scream for the entire TWO HOUR bus ride - each way! So of course she would get milk all over - that's why Angel parents always send extra clothes to school - DUH!)
Oh, it's just reflux, he'll grow out of it.
Come back and see me in two weeks (while losing 40 grams a day weight and only at 4 lbs)
Propulsid is perfectly safe, I think you're being a little paranoid
If you take your child off the drugs, we'll have to call the Children's Aid
He'll choke to death if he eats while on his back (It's the ONLY way he'd eat!)
He'll grow out of it (angelman's)
I've heard of someone with that being cured
Oh, your son's handicapped? I'll have to charge you extra.
"It's pronounced Angle-mans, I know because I am a doctor who teaches about this disease" (yes he said disease, luckily this was not Catie's doctor, but an aquaintance)
"Angelman's is not really a condition, it is just a variation of Prader Willie." (said to me by my 13 yr olds psychiatrist.)

"It's not angelman's, I deal with lots of Angelmans kids and I would recognize it right off if it was" (said by Catie's neurologist, when I asked if she could have this)

"I was right it is Angelman's, I told you that's what it was" (Same neurologist after the test results came in)

"Why do you want to adopt her with all her problems, she would be better off in a state home." (Again, same neurologist, right before I dropped him and found someone else. By the way, I am very willing to give this guys name out if you want to avoid him!)
And my all time favorite... (Not really, this statement caused me to change pediatritions immediately) "There is no reason to evaluate her developement until after she is a year old, until then there is nothing anyone can do to help her anyway."

First -- "your guys are saints". I could never do this! Said by so many people it blows my mind!!!
Second -- she'll grow out of it!!From a psychologist,family,friends
Third -- put her in an institution, she will forget all about you! Said by another psychologist!
Fourth -- well, she's never been 8 before, she's never been 12 before she's never been 22 before. Said by her pediatrician everytime I have a question about some weird thing she is doing.
Fifth -- Are you cousins? Said by a doctor who thought Jerry & myself had married and this is what happened to our kid because we were related! This still makes me laugh!
Sixth -- Angelman Syndrome? Never heard of it! Said by many doctors and neurologists she has seen!

She won't last the night out - Kirstie's pediatrician when she had meningitis just before she turned 2.
The Director of Pediatric Opthomology: "Glasses?...I'd like to leave him alone....Why do you want to annoy him with glasses?....I see no reason why HE needs to see more than 15 feet in any one direction, for his needs." ARRRRRGH!
The School's Psychologist: ..."How could he be picking up bad behavior from the classroom...his tests all show that he doesn't have any imitative skills." FIRECRACKERS SOUNDING
The ER Nurse before blood tests revealed pancreatitis: ..."He is FOS (full of stool). Yes, I am sure...the xrays don't lie. I'm just going to give him an enema and then you can all go home." Talk about being full of something!
There's nothing wrong with him he is just delayed...doctor
He isn't delayed enough for early intervetion...therapist
He walks and seems so smart it can't be angelman....case worker
I have a friend whos son has AS;Samuel is nothing like him. Samuel walks and says mama so I don't think it's angelman...step-mother
He look normal to me...physicians assistant
I don't think he's microcephalic he is just small....doctor (this is after his head growth dropped from 25th percentile to below the 5th)
All preemies are delayed...doctor
there's no way he eats that much and is failure to thrive;you must be miscounting calories...doctor
and the best one I've heard yet...Maybe there is some sin in yours and your husband's life that you need to take care of...preacher (No we don't attend that church anymore)
We go to the doctors today so I am sure I will have more when we get back.
She will never sit up or hold her head up ( she is sitting and holding her head) Same nuero as Susie's
Written in his clinical notes, She is a happy attentive child exhibiting none of the characteristics of Angelman Syndrome.
My favorite from a nurse in our ER, "Is this a seizure?!!" (stiff as a board and eyes turned up and unconscious, what do you think?)
We, too, were told (not by preacher) that "Heidi is the way she is because of something you (meaning me) have done."
The other one..."well, at least she is happy. Have you ever thought of putting her away?" I was unclear if they meant put to sleep like an old pet, put in a closet and brought out for her birthday, or put into an institution. I didn't ask for clarification.

"You just have to work with her more"... said to me by a chiropractor friend of the family who was meeting Kayla for the first time.
"She can't have Angelman Syndrome. She doesn't look like an AS child." ...said to me by a pediatric GI resident. (sorry, I thought this was Gastro-Intestinal Clinic...did I accidentally walk into the genetics clinic by mistake??)
"Well, she does have a mild astigmatism, but since she doesn't really NEED to see, I won't recommend glasses at this time." ... said to me by a pediatric ophthalmologist who was suggesting that since she wasn't learning to read or write, she didn't NEED to see clearly!

Kayla's teacher: "Beth, I think you should come get Kayla, I think she's having a seizure."

ME: Well, what is she doing?

TEACHER: Laying flat on the floor and face turning red.

ME: I think she's pooping, leave her alone for 5 minutes and then change her diaper.

TEACHER: Well, no, I don't think it's that.

ME: I'm on my way.

I got there, 5 minutes later, and could smell Kayla's diaper from out in the hallway. I took her over to the changing area, changed her, dressed her, and put her back in the circle. I said "told you so", waved and left.

Another goodie: On being called to come retrieve Kayla again from school because she had diarrhea. Only one diarrhea, reportedly, so I didn't think she should miss school for one runny poo. Well, they sent her to the health tech, who then called me and I (who had no car that day) couldn't come get her. I asked my dad to go get her and bring her home. He goes to the health room and gets her and when he questions why they were sending her home over one loose bm, she replies "You know, Mr. West, diarrhea is contagious." My dad (medical examiner, forensic investigator, paramedic/paramedic teacher, and retired Associate Director of Testing and Certification at the State of Maryland's Institute for Emergency Medical Services at University of Maryland) said to this health tech "where do they find you people?" He was still ranting and raving about it when he got here, Kayla strapped into the front seat of his car laughing and clapping and having the time of her life on a car ride with grandaddy.
I do understand that diarrhea can be the symptom of a contagious thing like stomach flus and rotovirus, but Kayla had no other symptoms and had eaten applesauce that morning (an unusual occurrence).
Simon walks in the room with us for his first visit with a new neurologist. he beams at the doc and heads toward him. the doc says: "uh, please keep him away" in his reports about simon, he kept calling him "retarded young man." it was obvious to me that he despised retarded people. (and their parents)
"She is too cute to have a genetically transmitted syndrome" (a pediatrician on why genetic testing did not need to be done) as if...
Ok you guys, it's my turn. Although I do not have an angel my son, who is now 21, has mild cp. When I was trying to get him diagnosed, a doctor, who knew I was in college majoring in special education actually asked me" Do you think maybe you are making this up, because you are studying special education?" No lie
Were are fairly new to this so thankfully, we haven't got much to add (yet). Callums Paed agreed to test for AS although she felt that he had more language than AS children. He didn't have any language at that time!?
Pediatrician: After I had told him that something was wrong with Michael at his 3 mo., 6 mo and 9 mo checkups, and numerous frantic phone calls and he kept assuring me that everything was all right, kids just develop differently. At 10 months, I told him that I KNEW something was wrong and I was going to pursue it with or without his help. He then said "Well, I've never had a patient as delayed as Michael."
A special ed teacher in our community school after she observed Michael in 1st grade upon my request to have Michael attend the community school instead of the district school: "All of MY children can read!" (I'm sure that she was thinking, why would we want Michael at HER school if he was so delayed.) My response: "That will be wonderful, you can teach Michael to read too."
A state representative at a SEPAC meeting explaining how the new state education standards/tests will affect special education students: "The state's goal is to have EVERY student meet the learning requirements and pass the test by Grade 12." Clearly, this woman and the state didn't consider special ed students as part of the student population!
Neurologist when Michael was 11 months old and after seeing him for 5 minutes and asking me questions, no tests were taken: "Michael has neurological damage that occurred in the womb when you were 5 months pregnant." Boy that was a guilt trip and probably explains why I have a general dislike of neurologists!
My mother-in-law after I told her that Michael had AS which is caused by a deletion in the chromosome contributed by the mother: "Oh, I see, so the bad gene came from YOUR side of the family." As if, HER side of the family only had PERFECT genes to pass along.
When Andrew went for his 6 week check up and only gained 6oz,(my mouth literally fell open) ! The Dr. did call me before that and asked how he was doing? Being my first baby, things were going well I thought. He was nursing; and I thought that there wasn't any problem. He slept 6hours the first night we brought himhome. He rarely cried. I thought I had the perfect baby1 The Dr. said to wake him up during the night to feed him. NOT! Otherwise, nothing else was mentioned for the whole year.
When we went in for his 11month checkup, I voiced my concern that Andrew just started sitting up at 8months, did not like me bringing his hands together for patty cake,still not gaining well . He said " I don't want you to spend your money"."See you in 6months". That was the last we went to him!!
When he was 3, I took him to the Ped. exhausted, crying and needed a break or some answers, he told me "Have you thought about putting him away?" That was not an option!! My only child? I don't think so!! Onto another ped.
Earlier, when he first started having seizures, and he was in the hospital, a resident told me the reason he wasn't gaining was because he was too retarded to eat!!! He didn't at all look retarded; he just didn't do those psycological tests!
Family too , including my husband, thought he would grow out of it.!!
We tried tubes in the ears. I thought for sure that was it! I was so disappointed when that turned out to go nowhere!!
One time we went to McDonald's.(he was around 3) and a women came up to me and asked if what he had was catching? She had never seen a child with a disability or ablack person for that matter!! Are we ignorant here?
1st Speech and Language Specialist for Nelly said, "She won't need augmentative communication. She will never communicate."
When Anthony was 12 months old, the Ped we first saw, calmly said to us " I don't think he will have a long life ", I had to ring back the next day and ask him exactly what he meant by that statement, as we had not slept all night thinking he was going to die in his sleep. And to think we still had a month to wait, before Anthony could have any testing done in Sydney. Needless to say, the last time we saw him, was to hear the results of the tests, which were all normal I might add, so Anthony was labelled CP.
"I ruled out Angle-Mans (yes, pronounced like right-angle, left-angle...) right away since there is no cure for it." from a Neurologist
She's too Pretty to have angelman syndrome and after a fall where Jess smashed her head on the ground, her uncle said...."Maybe it will put things back in place"
My wonderful mother-in-law (tongue in cheek) said yesterday, "Ashleigh probably doesn't have Angelman Syndrome, she's probably just ADHD." When I said that I think the geneticist knows what she's talking about, she replied "Well they don't have any proof so I don't think so." Like this woman with maybe a grade 10 education knows more than a geneticist who does have other AS patients. PLEASE. Needless to say Ashleigh and I won't be visiting Grandma in the near future.
And that's to bad because Granddad (hubby's father) is so good with Ashleigh. Yesterday we were there eating lunch and Ashleigh kindly put a piece of pastry that she was sharing with Granddad in his glass of water, then stirred it with his fork. He just laughed along with my little miss giggles. My mother-in-law doesn't even like Ashleigh to "help" with the dishes (she plays with the bubbles). But, one good thing did come out of all this. My husband actually agrees that his mother has no clue how to deal with Ashleigh.
LOL, I have heard both!! The one that really gets me is "she will grow out of it"...then I get this long story about someone's aunts uncle who didn't talk until they were 7!
Ian's first neurologist: "Do you believe that your blindness could be connected to Ian's condition?"
A brother-in-law: "Does Flipper (my dog) know that Ian is, you know, "different?"
A co-worker whom I was telling about Ian taking steps and using his walker: "Did he walk on purpose?" I knew what they meant but it sure sounded funny.
One of my sisters about 4 years ago: "We knew something was wrong, we just didn't know if you realized it"
A store clerk: "It's funny how those bad genes just pop out of nowhere" This one takes the idiot award IMO.
The first day in a new classroom, simon dropped a toy and the teacher told him to pick it up. simon looked up at her and gave her a sweet smile, and continued playing with the pieces he still had in his hand. her response? "WILLFUL!!" my heart sank.
The same teacher walking thru the room, "supervising" the kids: simon was working on a puzzle with square and round pegs. i was helping him hand over hand.
In a sing-song-y and very condescending tone: "simon, just put the *square* pegs into the *square* holes! and the *round* pegs into the *round* holes!" ugh. (i told her that he had already had 5 years of OT, and was not ready to function solely on a verbal prompt). she thought hand over hand help was spoiling him.
A different winner of a teacher: i walked in and saw the aide making simon put pegs into a slit in the top of a coffee can WHILE HE WAS SITTING BELTED ON THE TOILET WITH HIS PANTS DOWN. when i objected she said: "that's the only time he will cooperate." i later found out that they only worked with simon when he was either on the toilet or belted to a chair. big mystery why he ran away whenever they let him go. NOT.
Nelly was just beginning to walk on her own (4.4 years), she fell in the classroom, the aide said, "that will teach you to look where you are going" UGH!
Here's one a former neurologist told my husband. rony was proudly telling (bragging) the doc about some of simon's new developments. simon was about 3 or 4.
The neuro: "well, some of these kids will turn around in their teens and lose everything they've gained. he could be a vegetable."
OK I have to chime in-- my favorite of all times is a doctor at Shriners Children Hosp. said that Sam moved like he has had a dozen Martinis.
A cute one lately is ---a 6 year old at the ball park, kept scolding Sam and saying that he was just faking it and he needed to let go of his walker andjust walk like everyone else.
Unknown man at a gathering: Oh, how awful. See, that's why I told my wife, no cocaine or marijuana for at least a month before we decide to have a baby. (Walking away quickly so as not to spoil the party by punching his face in!)
Lady on the street: Oh how beautiful he is....is that his REAL hair?
Numerous people: Funny, he doesn't LOOK retarded??
Intern at Hospital: He's not going to grow very tall. Anglemen children are very short. (Oh, well he has ANGELman syndrome). Besides the fact that now at 13 yrs old, he is only one inch shorter than me.
"How long are you planning on keeping her?" (asked by a well-meaning friend who thought I would put Frances in some home or state hospital as soon as a place became available)
"She is too pretty to have Angelman's" (geneticist)
"This is God's way of telling you that you are leading a sinful life"
We were told by a geneticist that Justin would NEVER talk NEVER walk NEVER go to the bathroom on his own and that we would probably end up divorced because of him. But on the bright side you can put him in a group home!!! Needless to say she was fired by me LOL !
You are suffering from new mother syndrome and are looking for problems in your son. Stop comparing him to others.Meanwhile Justin was vomiting in the doctors lap when he finally decided that projectile vomit 50 times a day MIGHT mean reflux.( Pediatrician) Needless to say he was fired also.
Yet another Pediatrician I know nothing about Angelman and I am to old to learn!!!! Take him to someone who might be able to help you more I don't have the time to research something I have never heard of. We respected her decision and immediately left.
Reports from the EEG lab while looking for seizures. Your son has an infection in the brain and needs to be taken to the ER immediately.
WRONG WRONG WRONG This was a classic Angelman EEG. No infection but we did find out he had Angelman from that ER trip inadvertently.
"It's a very rare condition." (Our geneticist's explanation of why, in his professional opinion, Hannah did not have Angelman Syndrome.)
"Oh really? I didn't know that." (The same geneticist's response when I listed all of the symptoms that matched up and told him that AS was the only syndrome I'd read about where the microcephaly presented after birth.)
"You know there are...therapies..." Super-helpful advice from a total stranger watching me help Hannah into the car. My response--"Really? And to think all this time we've been ignoring her potential and keeping her locked up in a dark closet!"
Jenn sitting in her wheelchair in an examining room, chewing on a plastic toy and 16 years old.
Ortho doctor: Hi Jenn!
Jenn: Hi!!!!
Doctor: Jenn will you get up and sit on the table?
Jenn: HI!!!!!!
Doctor: Please can you get up and sit on the table?
Jenn: Hi!!!!!
Doctor: Jenn, I really would like you to get up and sit on the table. (Hey, so would we)
Jenn's mom: hmmmmm, notice anything here?
Doctor: What is that Mrs. I? Is she always this stubborn????
Mrs I: I think we need to see someone else.
While I was going through a divorce, my mother-in law said "Now if he has a child with someone else this won't happen again right?"
Here's one that was told to me about a child with downs: They doctor had received the results and was heading down to the mothers room (in the hospital) to tell her they were postive. She was in the hallway when he told her the results (didn't even have the brains to sit her down to break the news) and then said "Yes, the results were positive and she has down syndrome but don't worry she won't live long"

Well Folks, I have to share this one with all of you on the list. Just when you think you have heard it all someone is going to come along with something to top them all.After 21 years of this and having 5 children we have been the recepients of some pretty strange remarks Such as ...Did you birth all five of them? ( NO! Some of them were hatched!) Did you want all five kids?( asked in front of the children...and a kid is a baby goat ).And to Jonathan...aren't you too big to be in a ..stroller?grocery cart?to be carried? etc. About Jonathan... " even a dog can learn something"..."He's just spoiled"..." If your faith was strong enough I am sure he would be healed"... " He does what? Why do you let him? If he was my child...." " Did you pray for patience while you were pregnant wth Jonathan?" MMM.MMM. MMM.

Okay..Yesterday Jonathan and I went to get his haircut. Same place as always. Same stylist. Everyone in the place knows him and is used to us. We have the routine down to a science. Yesterday he was putting on a show for all of the girls. Laughing, pulling my hair, pulling me on to his lap, dancing to the music while sitting in the chair, pushing us out of the way to watch himself in the mirror and more! There was a new middle age lady working in the shop who kept a close eye on the activity. As we finished the marathon cut, she walked over and asked how old he was . Then she explained that she had a friend who was over social services at the Ala. State Hospital ( mental inst.). She asked if he was autistic?" "Oh .Then what is he?""What is that?" "AH.""Poor thing."Does that mean he is mental..." I cut her off and answered NO and again tried to explain a little about As and Jonathan. I had already told her he understood most of what people! said to him.Her reply was " He's not a mongoloid is he?" I nearly hit the floor! I explained nicely... No one used that term any more and if she meant Downs Syndrome ...No he was not .. that that was a different chromosome etc. " So that means he could live to a ripe old age?"" Bless your heart!" Jonathan and I both rolled our eyes and started to the door. I then heard her behind us talking about us and then she yelled to me .."He doesn't wear any shoes?" I acted as if I didn't hear her as I stopped in the front to put his shoes on before we walked outside.

JONATHAN AND I HAD A GOOD LAUGH WHEN WE GOT TO THE CAR! jUST HAD TO SHARE THE STORY WITH PEOPLE WHO WOULD UNDERSTAND! THANKS YA'LL!

A friend at church insists that there wasn't anything wrong with our daughter and that she'll eventually 'catch up' like her son who was a preemie and walked late, even after I calmly explained that the combination of not walking and talking was indication that something serious could be wrong.

The same friend then said, "Oh, well doctors don't know what they're talking about half of the time" when I told her that both the geneticist and neurologist strongly suspect Angelman's. Then she added, "That's why we don't go to them much." Well, I guess so when you know everything already!

One of my best friends from childhood, who by the way has two healthy children. (brats) "Well, don't get mad at me for saying this, but I think this is punishment from God because you knew better than to get pregnant before you were married." I thought this was kinda funny because she is a gossip... isn't that also wrong? Oh well, maybe that's why she was blessed with two ungrateful brats?
"dont change your email again and as i said in my last last email, you deserve liam as you are a dispicable human bean" said by M. Louise Marchand in the newsgroup ott.general in response to a disagreement over her militant feminist views.
O.K. in a search for a diagnosis for my son I have managed to come across two incredible well connected, well respected neurologists who had the following comments for me:
- The first one after I explained that although I had always thought my son was autistic I was beginning to suspect that he had Angelman Syndrome and so I was looking for a doctor that could help me with figuring that out and she said to me, "Well Angleman Syndrome causes Autism you knew that didn't you." At which point I wanted to get off the phone and call all of those parents of autistic kids and let them know that they had found the cause of autism.
- The second doctor I didn't speak to directly but he spoke to one of my son's other doctors who was trying to find a good neurologist for him and he came back in the room and said that the neurologist he spoke to was very familiar with the disorder and it is actually pronounced "Angle"man syndrome not "Angel"man syndrome did I know that. He was looking at me like I was an idiot. How do you respond to that?
My daughter just recently started seeing an orthopedist and he also called it Angleman's syndrome! My answer to him was: "It's pronounced Angelman, with no "s", and I was personally acquainted with Mrs. Audrey Angelman, so I know that to be a fact". He simply smiled as though I were being a bit "touchy" about the subject! Not sure we're going back to him anytime soon!
When we first realised that something was not right with Anthony (10 mths old), we were referred to a Pediatrition, after being told that we would have to wait a month before we could take Anthony to Sydney for tests, the idiot decided to make this comment: " Oh, I don't think he is going to have a long life! "
I feel that I have always accepted Aaron having AS, but what I can't accept is the other people. I can't even remember ever even crying about his dx. What makes me cry is the way people are. We go to the Dr. office and sit in a waiting room and people move. What? Are they crazy? Is it contagious?

The last ordeal topped the cake. I took Aaron and Erica to a new Dentist. We were called to go in and they have us sit in a room where a Lady is cleaning teeth. We were next to be seen. Then another lady and her two kids come in and sit down and then another Lady and child come in and sit. The Women cleaning teeth bypassed us and called on the other people first. Meanwhile we are sitting there for an hour and 45 minutes. She just kept tip toeing around us like we were not even there. Finally after everyone else was gone she says "come on Erica it's your turn" and I said no I would like Aaron to go first because he's getting very rambunctious. She looked at me like I was crazy. He can't get his teeth cleaned she says. I replied WHY NOT? She said "well he could die". Well I could go on and on, but she said something about kids like this need to get an antibiotic shot before having there teeth cleaned because they could die of heart complications. I still have no idea what she was talking about, but she did not want to clean his teeth. I started crying and yelled at her HE IS A HUMAN BEING AND HE NEEDS HIS TEETH CLEANED.

He is perfectly healthy and is not going to die.

She left for a few minutes and when she returned she said no one else has heard of this (AS) either, but the Dr. said it was ok to clean his teeth.

Initially I was scared to go and do this, because I thought It might be difficult for someone to do this simply, because he can't do what they ask, but I had no idea it would be so crazy.

This Dentist office was highly recommended to us by our Pedi, but it turned out the Dr. on staff was a young fill in with limited experience. When it was time to see the Dentist she saw Erica first and examined every single tooth and dictated to an assistant in there mumbo med terms. Then it was Aaron's turn and she stuck the mirror thing in his mouth he bites down on it and that was it she was finished and all she could say to the assistant He's 100% meaning his teeth are perfect with no problems. Sure! 100% He grinds his teeth 24 -7 and I can barely brush his teeth.

What do you do drug them up first? I can understand this is a problem for Dentist ect.. But they didn't even tell what us we should do next time. They just left it at perfect teeth. His teeth are grinded almost to numbs!
This morning at physical therapy the therapist (with Tiernan present) explains to my wife that since he hasn't met his goals (kicking, throwing etc) she was dumping him as a client. In her (paraphrased) words "since it looks like he'll need PT for the rest of his life anyways, why bother? He'll never really be able to the things most other kids can". Huh?! Isn't that WHY he is in therapy? Well, she is DEFINITELY his FORMER PT now.
I worry alot about the influence of having a special brother on my two girls.
The stupid part: (My mother said I am ruining their lives by forcing them to deal with him..........!)

The following is from a pathetic example of a human being who seems to think it's "cool" to use the fact that someone has a handicapped child in their "rebuttal" to an online argument. The amusing thing is that this Steve Dakin (01dak@sympatico.ca) individual appears to be looking for a job. I trust any employers seeking background will find his text below of interest:

From: "Dakin" 
Newsgroups: sympatico.highspeed
Subject: Re: Space Shuttle broke up.
Lines: 73
Message-ID: 
Date: Sun, 2 Feb 2003 19:03:05 -0500
NNTP-Posting-Host: 64.231.108.154
X-Complaints-To: abuse@sympatico.ca
X-Trace: news20.bellglobal.com 1044230574 64.231.108.154 (Sun, 02 Feb 2003 19:02:54 EST)
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"Marc Bissonnette"  wrote in message
news:Xns9316BD242A203dragnetinternalysisc@206.172.150.13...
> "Dakin"  wrote in
> news:BPg%9.547$CF1.142509@news20.bellglobal.com:
>
> > Go ahead call me stupid, call me a troll, say I need a life. I don't
> > really give a rats ass. I think the people who live on this NG are the
> > ones who need a life, Mr. Pissonit. Why don't you weep and wail for
> > the 20 000 children who starved to death on this planet today before
> > noon and weep and wail for all the food that useless piece of shit
> > that burned up in the atmosphere represented. There's something to cry
> > over, not the end of some elitist eggheads and their multibillion
> > dollar toy.
> >
> > Now FOAD.
>
> All righty then:
>
> You are stupid.
>
> You are a troll.
>
> You are in *serious* need of a life.
>
> You also need to come up with more creative manglings of my last name.
> The last time I heard "pissonit" was literally in the fourth grade. My
> son could come up with better than that and he's non-verbal.
>
> Finally, you're closing statement, FOAD, clearly shows us that even
> trailer trash can get DSL. Thanks for polluting the gene pool. (And
> sympathies again to your parents, for their complete and utter failure at
> creating something better than themselves.
>
> We'll let you have one more post and then in the plonk file with the
> other geniuses like John Shields and John Lauzon (Whom I'm sure you look
> up to as your personal heroes)
>

Look jerk, I do not understand why anyone who is the father to a
chromosomally mutated kid would hurl the "parent" insults like you do. I
guess it's just another sign of your ever growing idiocy. Since you were the
one who started hurling personal insults, I will feel free to do the same.

I was merely expressing my belief that all this shit over the Shuttle is
misplaced and exagerated. It took you all of two posts to insult me, call me
stupid and now your insulting my parents and calling me "trailer trash".
Your conduct bears all the hallmarks of someone who is not only
intellectually challenged but unable to construct a reasonable argument
against my beliefs. You seem to be a very weak and stupid.

Now it's my turn to insult.

At least my kids can walk and talk. Good luck with the blob. A little
advice. Next time make the bitch swallow.

Now FOAD.

From a well-meaning grandmother: "Have you tried a faith healer?"
From a person who would only post anonymously to usenet, because they haven't got the guts to say anything like this under their real name:
"Umm, you're not exactly one to be passing judgement on other people's reproductive organs. You can't even produce normal children. Get your defective genes fixed first, then you can talk."
submitted from one person:
1. (From a Neighbor within the first TWO minutes of us meeting for the FIRST TIME) "Can I ask, what's wrong with your kid?" My response "Well can I ask, what's wrong with yours??"
2. (From a Pediatrician we no longer use, when asked about a possible diagnosis) "Why do you keep torturing your son and putting him through this, a diagnosis won't do any good anyway, will it??" (apparently she has not been informed that there are specific therapies that work better for Kids with AS, research studies that can be helpful, etc. She also must have no idea that special needs equipment is HARD to get through insurance with no diagnosis.)
3. (From a random person at the grocery store) "Your son looks like he's off in his own World."
My son has mild special needs and I have a brother who is convinced that everything's because I spoil him rotten. When I explained about my son's dysgraphia (he has to keyboard because he has muscle tone problems that cause his hands to cramp after about 2 sentences, plus other issues) my brother said "sounds like it's all in his head - you should get him a good shrink"

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