Bobbi Wittkugle, Joey's mother, was informed that he wouldn't live past age
11. In fact, when he was born, the physician who cared for his mother was
very direct about it.
"The doctor entered without introducing himself and told me, "You have to
put him away. He won't ever speak. Never will he walk. You'll remain an
enigma to him. When he becomes 11 years old, everything will be over,' Bobbi
said WBTW.
But Joey has disproven all of his doubters after 60 years. He turns 62 on
June 29.
Bobbi, who is over 90 years old, noted that the era in which her son was
born in Ohio was very different. People with Down syndrome and others who
have developmental difficulties were not well understood.
Parents were frequently told to place their babies in institutions.
"Seventy-two years ago, no one was aware of them, and they were kept within
the home. You didn't have them out walking or doing anything else, she
continued.
Joey's family organized a vehicle parade for him on his birthday.
While many people view their birthdays as merely another day or another
year, according to Bobbi, for her son it is yet another year in which Joey
has defied the odds.
"I want people to start realizing that you shouldn't turn your back on one
of our children as you used to do years ago. Please learn to love them as
much as they love you since they are human and wonderful creations of
God.
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