Up Syndrome

I watched the documentary called Up Syndrome tonight.

Oh.My.Gosh!

It's funny. It's heartwarming.

Using donated digital tapes and a camera purchased with money earned from an eBay sale, indie filmmaker Duane Graves chronicles a year in the life of his charismatic childhood chum, Rene Moreno, who was born with Down Syndrome.

It's such an honest and beautiful look at a grown man with DS that it took my breath away. For instance Rene, the subject of the movie, says his friends are "handicapped" but he is not. And then he proceeds to do impressions of his "handicapped" friends.

The film also proves to me that our children can have meaningful, life long friendships with typical peers. I love the friendship between Rene and the filmmaker. It's so refreshing to see them cutting up, wrestling, playing pretend and making bad home movies together. Isn't that beautiful?

This movie reminds me that the struggles that I have now as parents of young children with Down Syndrome, will not be the same ones I will have when they are older. I don't often think about that. My boys' challenges will change, too. Sometimes it's hard to see past the challenges of the present day.

Thanks to Netflix, I'll be watching this one over again.