"We each one are born into this world with a certain potential. It is a great myth that all people are created equal. Some people have no arms and legs. Some people have no resistance to disease because of weak immune systems. Some people are born unable to see or hear. And some people have mysterious mental diseases. Equal... no, we are not all created equal. Some people have the potential to be geniuses, others lack any minds at all. But that does not mean we who are blessed with full mental and physical capacity should discard the less fortunate. It means that we should love them all the more and find creative solutions to enrich their life experience."

Terrence A. Lynch
November 25, 2003

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Larry is my brother. He has mental retardation. I prefer to say he is a mentally challenged person. Larry will always be as a child in some respects. He will always have mental problems. He will always have behaviors that can not be changed. I know this is true because Larry is an adult and he still has the same mental ability which he had as a child. You might consider his mental ability to be that of a four to twelve year old. The reason for the age range is because Larry excels in some respects and in others is much below any average for a particular age. He is a unique case study, a unique individual, with his own set of unique mental challenges.

Larry is NOT a hopeless case. His parents always endeavor to provide Larry with the best care and special education programs available. This has enabled Larry to develop his full potential. As a result Larry has some very remarkable qualities.

Larry can read. He can follow trains of thought. He can sing, memorize and even carry tunes. He love Christmas time and getting new books under the tree. In fact Larry loves books about trains, airplanes, bridges, wildlife and atlases. Whatever is wrong with Larry's mind it does not effect his memory or his emotions. He can remember things which happened to him forty years ago like they were only yesterday. Larry has a wealth of information stored in his brain. In some respects he is like a walking encyclopedia. Yet Larry will never be normal or able to take care of himself. Although he can do things like bath and dress himself, make simple sandwiches or pour himself a drink of milk, he can not count money, drive a car or operate any machinery. He can only do those things which might not hurt himself or involve only a limited degree of coordination. Any action which would require fast thinking, weighing and balancing facts or numbers to make a correct, calculated judgement is quite beyond Larry's ability. However, Larry can feel. He can cry and he can love.

Larry is only one of millions of children with a mental retardation problem. Actually Larry's problem is not as bad as it could be. I have seen hundreds of children who are much worse off than Larry, who have been institutionalized and warehoused, rejected by their parents and families and not given the degree of love and affection which Larry has received over the years. Of course many people could care less about a person like Larry. They don't want to know that people like Larry exist. There solution to the problem would be to exterminate all mentally retarded people. Adolph Hitler was one such thinker (or should I say non-thinker). And indeed Hitler did exactly that. I can't help thinking these type of people are more crazy than Larry is mentally retarded. And if their own solution were applied to them, the world would have no Hitlers and no prejudice against the mentally challenged children of this world.

The reason I keep referring to Larry as a child is because mentally Larry is still a child. It may be difficult to imagine a 50 year old child. But Larry is exactly that. He lives in a perpetual childhood. Larry still sometimes says, "Mom, when I grow up... I'm going to be a fireman, an air plane pilot," or do this or do that. Larry does not realize he will never grow up. And what most people do not realize is exactly what it would be like to be trapped inside Larry's head, with the body of an adult but the mind of a child. Who can ever tell what it must be like to be Larry?

Larry often talks to himself. He makes up stories, long narratives where he talks through imagined dialogues with imagined characters, such as air plane pilots, ambulance drivers or firemen. Whatever aspect of the mind which controls the creative story telling process, Larry still has this ability. He also draws pictures, scribbles lines on paper of railroad yards, airports and highways. His line drawings are very crude and tend to represent the linear mental process which I imagine goes on inside Larry's mind. For some reason Larry's brain can only make sequential connections and lacks some third or fourth dimension of capacity to associate. It is like Larry can only walk down a straight corridor, can only follow a road or map already laid out for him. As soon as he opens a door into the wide open spaces he is lost. Maybe that is what causes his stories to ramble so and not always make sense. But it seems that talking to himself is a form of entertainment, one that is perfectly harmless. Since Larry can't do many things for himself, he requires constant, life long supervision and care. But how many families (or even institutions) can afford to provide 24 hour supervision? It is nearly impossible! Somehow we have managed. I think is is easier because Larry is easy to love.

Larry's parents decided when he was an infant not to institutionalize him. The family has never asked church or any charities for any money, but have involved Larry in special education programs. However this has become more difficult to do as Larry has grown older. The diversity of acceptable programs that exist for special children do not seem to exist for adults in need of special life long care.

I do not know how long Larry will live. As I said, Larry is already over 50 years old. But because Larry's needs are very special I'm telling his story and establishing a trust fund for anyone who wants to help Larry. This fund will be used to provide all the things Larry needs or to provide funds for adult supervision so that Larry is never bored, alone or without in home care. It will also be used to help pay for special medications. Larry needs a life supply of Tetralac (a calcium supplement), plus thyroid medicine. He also needs things to keep him from being bored. Larry enjoys looking at books, travel folders and maps. Larry also enjoys playing with Legos and working jig saw puzzles. It seems when Larry is playing with Legos or other toys he seems happier than when his time is not occupied.

You may contribute to the Lawrence C. Lynch Trust Fund by sending donation of any amount to:

The Lawrence C. Lynch Trust
P.O. Box 241035
Montgomery, AL 36124-1035.

You may make direct, anonymous donations to: Lawrence C. Lynch Trust; Regions Bank, Montgomery, AL 36109

(Since Larry is mentally retarded all checks or money orders should be made payable to The Lynch Family ). All contributions will be used to buy things Larry needs. You may also send gifts. This may include hard back books with pictures, atlases, travel guides or even encyclopedias. Larry also likes to work complex flat jig saw puzzles. He also likes picture books on animals, marine life, trains, air planes, sky scrapers, bridges, ships and fire engines. Your contributions are appreciated. Thank you!

Reply to:Terry Lynch

Larry Missing