Note from Don: The following is a letter received from Danelle McGee. I sent them a hardcopy of Teeter's Page along with a letter from us - I hope you will all take the time to write to them "snail mail!!!"
3-15-96
Hello Mr. & Mrs. Sears & Teeter,
My name is Danelle McGee and my husband, Mike and I have a son with Apert Syndrome. His name is Jason (Jay) and he is 19 years old. Jay's vocational counselor along with his Keystone worker decided to put the question "What is Aperts?" into the internet to see what came up. To their surprise and to Mike and I's delight, we have found someone with Aperts! You see, Mike and I had tried, with the help of our doctors from 2 midwest health facilities, to find such a support system. We had only found one other person in 1982. Unfortunately, after 5 years of no response, I quit writing to her. This is the first time since then that we know there are others out there.
How old is Elizabeth and how is she doing? I am so curious and interested what you and other families with Aperts have gone through and what these kids have achieved. I would love to share our story and help others to get through all sorts of emotions that only families with Aperts could know. Please write because I have no link to the internet at this point.
Jay is a senior at our local high school. He has a part-time job at Culligan and is hoping that it will turn into full-time after graduation. Jay would like to someday farm like his father. We are currently trying to determine if Jay could live on his own or need some sort of support.
Mike and I have taught Jay that he can do whatever his heart desires and not to let anyone tell him he can not do something because he has a handicap. As a result, Jay is a very determined young adult who does not want the label of Apert's placed on him because he fears that a label will put limits on just what he can do and he does not like limits. Everyone he meets, he leaves them with total amazement at his abilities to compensate. Jay is the middle son of three. Mike and I farm, dairy, beef, and crops. Actually Mike and his 2 sons farm, I work at the local hospital as an account receivable representative. John, our oldest, is a senior in college.
I would like to thank all of you for starting this type of communications and if it would not be too much trouble to place our names on that newsletter mailing list that was mentioned. Thank you Don, Cathie, and Elizabeth.
Sincerely,
Danelle McGee
3550 345th Avenue
Cresco, IA 52136 | 
