Arthur's life with us

1 Arthur’s life with us

It was in June 2012, when he’d just had his 45th birthday, that Arthur finally left home and we ceased to be his carers. This chapter tells the human story, not just articulating what it’s like to have a child born with severe disabilities, but also giving an account of his development into adulthood, of gains in maturity and insight alongside deepening love, of parental ties and anxieties lasting years, of simple joys as well as grief and loss. But we must start at the beginning…