Throughout our lives, we all meet special people. My life was forever changed following the death of a man I cared about. My “uncle” Jody was a man with Down syndrome who my family and I have cared for since I was born. At the time of his death, Jody was sixty-five years old. Jody lived a long and fulfilling life. The impact Jody has had on the lives of many people has been immense and immeasurable. Jody Snell will never be forgotten because he had the innocence of a child, he always defied the odds and he loved everyone he met. Jody Snell was born into this world on June 14, 1942. He was born with a genetic disorder known as Down syndrome. At the time of Jody's birth, the disease was relatively unknown and its future was uncertain. Doctors had no idea of ​​his mental abilities, and no one expected the impact his initial "deficiencies" would have on many memorable moments for years to come. Without question, Jody was born into a family that cared and loved him. His mother became a stay-at-home mother and took great care of him on a daily basis. Jody was the oldest of his three siblings and was always their big brother. Jody was a great protector, who took care of them more than anything. However, over time, the other children have aged physically and mentally. Due to his condition, Jody has always remained around the age of five in terms of mental capacity. While most teenagers had already discovered the truth about Santa, Jody Snell never stopped believing. Jody never stopped trying to figure out what he was going to get from Santa. He would always sit around the tree and shake his presents violently trying to figure out what he was getting. He spoke curiously, often wondering aloud, "How does Santa Claus manage to deliver all the presents to all the children in the world?" » Every Christmas Eve, Jody would sit and try to wait for Santa to come. Care had to be taken as Jody was very alert and easily awakened by loud noises. As we brought the gifts, one of us stood by Jody's bedroom door to make sure he couldn't get out while we were dropping off the gifts...