'Damien' is a book of challenge and hope

The latest local author on Woodbine Books' shelves is Dorly O'Sullivan, writes Brian Byrne. Her book, Damien: A life for my son, is a beautifully produced small hardback that documents life in a family where one member has Down syndrome and Autism (ASD-DS) and is non-verbal.

The book is based on a series of blog posts which Dorly began writing as 'mumsnautism' when Damien was in his early teens, and issues with aggressive behaviour had surfaced. Through 184 pages, the reader becomes invested in that story, which ends when Damien finally becomes a resident at Camphill Grangebeg. 

By its very nature, the book recounts a story of challenges in the O'Sullivan home, where Damien is the youngest of five children born to Dorly and Barney. There's no discounting the difficulties where there is disability. Between the covers of Damien, there is an honest reflection of these and the emotions and frustrations that are part of the situation. But there is also fun and even notes of hilarity through the stories, which deal with the daily things in any family's life, with an edge that doing them with Damien adds to the mix.

Most of all, there is love. All encompassing, all inclusive, and a family fiercely protective of that love for each other, even in the middle of sometimes chaos. Damien is a story of learning a new life language, of falling and getting up again, of faltering, persevering, and discovering.

Dorly recalls that when they realised they had a Down syndrome baby, they bought a book about it. "It was shocking, all the things that could go wrong," she says. "After a couple of days, I put the book away and never saw it again. I reckoned we did not have to become experts in all the ailments that could befall a child with Down syndrome; we only had to deal with whatever Damien brought with him, and we would become experts in that."

Unlike that other unnamed book, Damien: A life for my son gives hope to any family on the same journey. But it is equally so for the rest of us. Available in Woodbine Books, €20.

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