By: Jessica Weafer
“There is nothing my 10-year-old does that Matt doesn’t do,” Sherry Cook, mother of three, said while sitting in her living room talking about her two sons, Shawn and Matt. Shawn, 10, is her youngest son, Sara, 21, is her oldest child, and Matt, 14, is her middle child. Matt also has Down syndrome. Sherry said, “He does everything everyone does — goes to school, plays sports, goes to dances, hangs out with friends.”
“We try not to treat him any different,” she said. “We just have to keep an eye on him.”
Matt is known for being a little sneaky and impulsive, she said.
A week before his freshman year of high school, she took Matt to register for class. When they returned home, he said that he was going to start school tomorrow and he was going to walk there in the morning. Of course, classes wouldn’t start for another week, so his mother told him that he couldn’t walk to school the next day.
But the following morning, when she went to wake him up, his bedroom was empty. She quickly realized he had woken up, dressed, and climbed out the window.
After a frantic call to the police and a quick search of the area, they discovered Matt at a local grocery store with a grocery bag filled with lunch meat, a Pepsi, laundry soap, and stew meat. He was wearing his clothes and shoes that he picked out for back-to-school, and he had his backpack on, complete with school computer. He was altogether safe and unharmed.
Sherry said that even though she was scared to death at the time, Matt’s grocery store excursion is a story she looks back on and just has to laugh.
Matt leads a normal life. His mother said his day-to-day routine is a lot like any other child his age. She said he starts his day by getting up and ready for school, then he catches his bus to Owensboro High School. After school, he goes to Puzzle Pieces, a local activity center for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Once he’s home for the evening, he helps cook dinner and clean-up.
“He is a whole lot smarter than people realize,” she said.
Matt is currently working on learning everyday life skills like cooking. His mother makes sure to have him help out every night while she cooks dinner. “He can cook a lot around here,” Sherry said. “He can cook eggs, steak, pork chops.”
Working on life and social skills daily will help Matt to one day get a job. Sherry said that Matt talks about getting a job when he turns 18 almost daily. He has mentioned a few jobs that he would like to have: firefighter, restaurant cook, work with Bobby on his favorite television show, Lizard Lick Towing, or join the Army like his National Guard Veteran father, Terry. Matt is so taken with the Army that if he sees a soldier, he has to go over and talk to him. Sherry said he is very proud of his veteran father, and calls the Army his, “Daddy’s work.”
Throughout his life, Matt has met most of his milestones around the same age as his peers and has been fortunate to not have any major health problems. Sherry said, “He’s never had a broken bone, never spent the night in the hospital, and has never missed more than one day of school for illness until this year.” She said, “We are very fortunate. He has no heart or thyroid problems.” She said he’s had quite a few cavities, but that’s it.
Sherry said Matt receives help from Green River Area Down Syndrome Association (GRADSA), an organization governed by a board of parent and professional volunteers who share an interest in improving the quality of life for individuals with Down syndrome. They are an affiliate of the National Down Syndrome Society and the National Down Syndrome Congress. They serve nearly 300 families, educators, and professionals in the counties of Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, McLean, Ohio, Union, and Webster.
Matt was recently crowned King of the Dance at the GRADSA and Special Olympics Valentine’s Dance and will attend Prom this year with a fellow classmate. Matt told his mom that he has 10 girlfriends after giving his flower pin to his friend at the dance after the crowning.
As for what the future holds, Sherry said that she could see Matt getting married one day. She talked about how the Michelle P. Waiver program helps with the day-to-day of adult life. “It’s totally doable,” she said, “to have a house and have caregivers come and do what needs to be done. I don’t see the difference (in married with disabilities versus married without disabilities).”
Sherry said that one misconception about Matt is, “I think a lot of people think they are more different than alike. He does everything everyone else does. For so many years, people put labels on them and it’s not true.” She advised that if a parent finds out their child has Down syndrome, the best thing they can do is, “go to one of the support agencies and get resources so you can be better informed.” She said, “The agencies have support groups. There are other people out there, so you don’t have to be alone trying to deal with it.”
When asked what she would tell a parent about having a child with a disability, Sherry said, “I would tell them having a child with a disability is more of a blessing than a hardship. I couldn’t image my life without him.”