Living and Thriving with PWS

November 2015

This year I participated in my 4^th Latham Charity Golf Classic and Latham’s 6^th Annual Charity Golf Classic.  Golf is one of my favorite sports as I’ve been doing it since I was little.  I play in the tournament not just to enjoy a beautiful day of golf, but to also represent Latham’s Adult program during the event. Normally on an average day I have to count my calories and eat from a pre-planned 5-week rotation menu. On the day of the tournament because golf is such a physically active sport, I am allowed to enjoy the lunch and dinner provided to the participants.

You might be asking yourself how am I able to handle a full day of 18 holes of golf and the food they have for participants?!  A staff is available to oversee the day’s events. This year I had the privilege of my new residential supervisor getting to know the tournament and how the day goes.  We had a chance to get to know each other better in between holes.  My favorite experience was that I got to drive the golf cart.

I also was playing with another individual from the Latham Centers Adult program. We’ve grown into becoming friends since I joined Latham 4 years ago. We are capable of doing many extra activities outside the program as well.  I always take full advantage of representing Latham in these community events. These events are where you can tell that I am living and thriving with Prader-Willi Syndrome.

*Living and Thriving with PWS is a monthly blog column by Derek M., a 25 year-old Latham adult resident with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), who has resided on Cape Cod for over three years in a home managed by Latham Adult Services with fellow residents also diagnosed with PWS.