Personal Stories
- A Fraternal Bond
- A door to answers
- Luther’s story
A Fraternal Bond
At first glance, most folks don’t see the resemblance. Galen is tall and lanky and animated in his mannerisms. Greg is also tall, but a bit stockier, and is more quiet (at least until he gets to know you!). But after talking to the two of them together, the similarities start to come through – and you begin to sense that unquestionable bond forged in a way only brothers do.
Both men live in Cedar House, and work in the Matthew Washington Center. Galen has moderate mental retardation, ADHD and mitral valve prolapsed. And Greg, the younger brother, has mild retardation and speech difficulties.
The two men have weathered significant loss over the years. First their mother died suddenly when they were teenagers, and then the passing of their father 17 years later. Their childhood was spent in Russell, Kansas but their parents had always planned on them coming to Futures after graduation - which they believed to be the best, according to Dorothy, the men’s grandmother. Galen moved here in 1987 at the age of 17. Greg followed six years later.
After going through a temporary separation, Greg and Galen didn’t notice each other much when they were finally together. But slowly their subtle bond returned. Those who know them notice how Galen watches out for his little brother. “He reminds Greg to wash his hands,�? says Dorothy. And recently, when Greg left for a week to attend summer camp, Galen was pained by his brother’s absence, believing him to be gone for good. Greg, on the other hand, isn’t as expressive of his affection for his brother. But occasionally when Galen starts to rock his body and get agitated – a characteristic of his disability – Greg pats his back to coax Galen to settle down. When Galen had major surgery some time ago – Greg was wrought with worry over his brother.
Even though the men are very independent in their interests and activities, they do enjoy double dating (Greg tends to stick to one woman, while Galen chooses a different one every time!), and attending church with their friend Jeff and their Saturday morning coffee and doughnuts with Harley.
While both men have wonderful extended family support – they happily call Cedar House on A street - home, and depend on Futures to fill in the pieces, enabling them to live happy and productive lives – and to enjoy that “brotherly�? bond that makes life so special.