Friday, January 8, 2021
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I am so grateful to have Uncle Jimmy as a wonderful member of our family. My mom is one of his three awesome sisters, Karen. I loved visiting Uncle Jimmy with my family. I have five siblings and our cousins have eight, so there are many nieces and nephews who love Uncle Jimmy very much. I remember reading books to my Uncle Jimmy, especially ones with animals. We also put up cool wall stickers for the holiday season to make Uncle Jimmy's room cheerful. My mom showed me a picture I drew for Uncle Jimmy when I was young that said "Halloween is a scary night" with a ghost, witch, and some unidentifiable creatures--it made me laugh and I hope my uncle liked it too. My favorite part of our visits to see Uncle Jimmy was taking turns holding his hand while talking to him and Uncle Jimmy squeezing our hands. Uncle Jimmy looked at my mom often, and I could see the beautiful sibling bond between them. It was also a great time celebrating Uncle Jimmy's birthday, eating cake with him, and gathering around him to help him open the presents. Uncle Jimmy's birthday was just one example of how much dedication and love our grandmother, his mom, had for him. I am so appreciative my husband Kyle was able to meet Uncle Jimmy and be a part of those happy memories. The picture I included is of Kyle, Uncle Jimmy and me the year before we got married.
Uncle Jimmy is one of two of my uncles who has a developmental disability. I am so proud and thankful to have uncles in my life who are so strong and love their families so much. My parents made sure our uncles are important people in our lives by spending time with them and telling us stories of their childhoods. There are two stories my mom tells that stand out in my memory. One is a physical therapist taught my Uncle Jimmy to walk with assistance while holding a bar that extended from one wall to another. I can imagine how happy that must have made his sisters and mom. Another story is that since Uncle Jimmy was physically small, he crawled to get around the house. His sisters and mom would help him by carrying him at times. My mom was so strong that in her elementary school gym class, she schooled everyone with how many pull ups she did.
Uncle Jimmy was very handsome and looked great in all of his SU gear. When he was in school, my Uncle Jimmy competed in Special Olympics and won a 1st place ribbon in a wheelchair race! I also love sports and now work and volunteer coach at Special Olympics New York. Sports have a tremendous impact on a person's confidence, courage, determination, joy, community, and so much more. I am a part of Special Olympics NY because I want to help provide the kind of experiences that my Uncle Jimmy had. At my work and in my life, I will always remember my Uncle Jimmy as a beautiful person and I will always be thankful for the love he shared with our family.
Love,
Sara Massa (Fisher), Uncle Jimmy's niece
