Lathom was born with severe Spina Bifida and given three hours to live. Now, at 36 he has proven that he can beat the odds time and time again.
Lathom, who loves anything to do with sports, has lived at home with his parents and brother his whole life. He’s got a great personality and loves to have a joke.
“I am so excited to move into my new home. I’m going to enjoy eating chocolate and chips, and having barbeques and parties with my fellow housemates. I will make sure to always have chocolate biscuits for my visitors!”
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Over the years, the family have ensured that Lathom is a part of their day to day life, and refuse to let his disability control their lives.
“We try not to segregate him, if we can’t do something we try to work a way around to do it. It’s just been our lives; we don’t see any difference” – Margaret
As his primary carer, his Mum Margaret has been supporting Lathom at home while her husband is the sole income earner, and her support person. As she’s getting older, her body is starting to break down. As a family, they knew it was time to start looking at other options for Lathom to live independently for the first time.
The change in dynamic will be an adjustment for the family, but one they know is inevitably for the best.
“It’s exciting, but it’ll be a challenge. It’ll be very different just being Mum.”
“I think the dynamics will change. He’ll go from being solely just himself, at home with us, to living with people. He’s going to be living with a lot of people and having a sole person to take him out. He’ll have more choice and exposure to different things.”
“My body and health is taking a turn and I thought, ‘I have to do something to secure Lathom’. Knowing there was something out there other than aged care was such a relief. We didn’t want to be rushing and carrying on, we wanted to take our time and make sure it was the right move, as we are now. We want him to be safe, and happy.”
