The Power of Friendships
- Jennifer Coens
- Oct 8, 2024
- 1 min read
A Story From Our Community
With all the challenges and difficulties with living with PWS, I would like to share the success and yes, some positives my daughter Kathryn has achieved.
Kathryn was diagnosed with PWS at 2 ½ months. With the early connection with OPWSA and other PWS families, we were pointed to various therapies and programs to help Kathryn reach milestones at her own pace.
With having an older sister, Kathryn always strived to follow in her footsteps from sports to various activities. She was walking at 18 months, started ballet/dance at 3, was riding a bicycle at 6 and received her black belt in Tae Kwon Do at 18.
PWS has also introduced Kathryn to many organizations and opportunities, from helping others in her life skills classroom, going to camp at Shadow Lake – especially PWS week, and taking part in the Ontario Special Olympics – track and field, basketball, swimming, soccer and bowling.
If you were to ask Kathryn what are some positives about PWS, I know she will say that it is the friends she has made. The friendships that started at conferences, connected at camp and now continued through social media.
For me, it has been the support that I have received, through the OPWSA, other PWS families and through my own family. However, the most important and positive thing I have learned from Kathryn is to always smile, show kindness to others and to see the best in all the things life has to offer.
