I wish everybody could meet my daughter, Julie Dawn.  The world would be a lot better off, is all I can say!

My name is Dory Anne Casen.  I live in Canton, Ohio, with my family: my family consists of my husband, William, and our five children:  Julie Dawn (22), Griff William (20), Taylor Dayne (17), Jacob Elijah (14), and the baby, ten-year-old Robert Allen, who is nicknamed "Buzz", by most of his friends, because he has such a short haircut.  Our children are our world; we would do anything possible for them.

Our daughter (the older one) was born with mental disabilities that left her with the mind of a very young child, say, around six years old.  She is technically an adult, but she will never be able to survive on her own.  She is too trusting, and she doesn't really understand about a lot of the bad things going on in this world.  She ws born with Down syndrome and heart issues.

Julie has had three heart surgeries, and while they have improved her quality of life, she still has issues from time to time, especially if she gets upset.  This is why we stress the importance of keeping her as calm as possible and not to upset her in any way.  Maybe it's not the best tactic, but it's better than her lying in a hospital bed, her heart racing over 200 beats per minute, as she struggles for breath!

Other than that, Julie is a sweet woman/child with a winning personality.  She doesn't know a stranger.  She's the type of person who will go up to a complete stranger and give them one of her world-class hugs and say in her husky voice, "I love you". 

Julie has the love of Jesus Christ inside her.

Some of Julie's favorite activities include swinging on the swingset, drawing/painting, writing simple stories or poems, catching butterflies, reading picture books (actually just looking at the pictures), playing with her toys or dolls, and watching Nickolodeon or Qubo on television.  She also loves "Dancing With The Stars" and "America's Got Talent".

Julie doesn't work because she doesn't handle stress all that well.  She stays home, where she collects a small disability check every month.  We help her with her bills, and we try to teach her the importance of money.  It doesn't always work out, but she is learning, slowly, and at her pace.

Another activity that Julie enjoys is going to church.  We go to a small Baptist church every Sunday; Julie loves the worship/singing the best.  She looks forward to singing about "her Jeez-zus" and telling others about Him.  She is a great vessel for the Lord; she isn't afraid to tell others about her faith.

Julie has led some of her friends and even led her father and myself to Christ two years ago.  The change in our family unit since Jesus came in has been nothing short of startling ... and it is all because our daughter cared enough to pray for us and tell us about Him.

Well, I hate to run, but we are going out to breakfast today.  We're going to Bob Evans for sausage and pancakes as well as juice and scrambled eggs.  Then we will head for church, where they will have a huge "dinner-on-the-grounds" and a fall festival this evening, as an alternative to the more traditional Hallowe'en trappings.  This will be our second year in going to the Harvest/Fall Festival.  I am sure we will have a great time.

Take care, and God bless you always! I hope you unjoyed reading about our family, in particular, our oldest child, Julie Dawn.  She is such a blessing I wanted to tell others about her and why we think she is so special!