To celebrate Disability Independence Day, we are thrilled to welcome De Hage Minner to Skylark to discuss her memoir, I Only Have Time To Love You on Sunday, a touching, witty, and heartfelt story of a family and their way of dealing with all the issues that come up in a special needs person's life.
Parents all have certain goals in common when it comes to success in parenting - to prepare a child for a loving and fulfilling life of independence and choice. With humor, compassion, and love, De Minner tells the story of raising their son and daughter with her husband Bob, through all the trials and tribulations seen with nearly every child, including some special twists required to navigate unforeseen challenges and overcome the stigmas of raising a child with Down syndrome. The outcome from this connected and caring family environment is by anyone's definition a true success.
Angela Marie, an individual born with Down syndrome, received all the care and guidance to create that success. She and her younger brother, Joe had a great childhood peppered with the usual rivalries, companionship, and milestones, along with many more adventures and misadventures most of us would never encounter. Angie is an adult with room in her heart for plenty of love, generosity, and simple pleasures along with an amazing talent for subtle and not-so subtle humor.
De quotes her husband Bob, "Before she was born, I prayed for a perfect child. It took me a while to realize we got exactly what I asked for."
This experiential book gives new parents of Down syndrome hope and insight to some of the challenges they will likely face.
De Hage Minner is a retired research nurse and quality educator for MU Sinclair School of Nursing in Nursing Homes all over the state of Missouri. She has published two nursing journal articles on pain assessment and dementia and has contributed to many others. Originally from Upstate New York, she has resided in Mid Missouri since 1989.
The idea for De Hage Minner’s debut memoir simmered for many years after the birth of her first child, a daughter with Down syndrome named Angela Marie. Angie’s birth set De, her husband Bob, and Angie’s younger brother Joe, on a path of discovery that included serious health scares, both hilarious and gut-wrenching moments, thought provoking dilemmas, and enlightenment about her need for enabled independence as a contributing adult.
When De is not writing you can find her reading, riding her recumbent trike, traveling with Bob, or cooking and hosting festive Lebanese dinners and making baklava for charity auctions in Columbia, Missouri. De, Bob, Joe, and Angie continue as advocates for enabling independence for those with differing abilities.
