03/25/2026
Please vote for the WCBDD levy May 5, 2026. This is another fine example of how the WCBDD uses the
levy funds to enrich the life of others as well as promote a life like everyone wants! Everyone wants to
experience love and inclusion in their community. This article was written by my daughter, Tabby
Patterson, when she was a teenager. Tabby is now the Assistant Director of Operations for Family
Traditions of Marietta, LLC DBA Cads and B & L Agency.
My Ding Ding
By: Tabby Patterson
I am on the porch sitting in a wooden rocking chair with the sound of “Old Susanna” in the air. This is
my memory of my Ding Ding. I look at her and she has a huge smile and laughing her funny little laugh.
As she sings, in her own way, with the keyboard in her hand to “Old Susanna”. She slaps her legs and
Stomps her feet and I just laugh and wonder. I wonder if I knew then or she knows how much I would
Love her, thank her and miss her.
Wait I guess you need some background on Ding Ding so you can see how wonderful she really is or was.
I was about 12 years old and I remember my mother saying she was bringing a client to stay the
weekend with us from her work. Then all I remember is Ding Ding was there, part of the family. Ding
Ding was an older lady about the same height as me and with dark short curly hair. I can’t remember
what I thought or felt the first time I met her. I am not sure if it was because it wasn’t important to me
or maybe I was too young. All I know is our lives were filled with a little more stubbornness and a lot
more learning from that day on.
When Ding Ding moved in with us I didn’t know much about Down Syndrome and neither did other
people I would figure out going through life. The first time I can recall this happened was when I invited
some girls from school over to hang out on my birthday weekend. It was my 13th birthday and most of
them said yes without hesitation. All but one girl, I can’t even recall her name now, but she said she
wouldn’t be allowed to go to my house. Curious I asked her why she wasn’t allowed and she said “her
parents don’t want her around people like that”. People like that, huh I had to think about what that
meant for a minute. After a couple seconds of thought I replied with “I am not sure what is wrong with
my family but I know what is wrong with yours. Ignorance, stupidity or maybe just sheltered but
whatever it is I think you are right. I wouldn’t want my family to catch stupid from you so probably best
you don’t come”. That was the way life was, I never thought about Ding Ding in a negative way and I
never allowed anyone to think that either.
There were many times throughout my life that I have talked to people when they asked about Ding
Ding. I have told them each a story about her and then the last words are “oh and she has what they call
Down Syndrome”. I ended my story that way, not started it, because Ding Ding was so many more things
to me and my family than a lady with Down Syndrome. My close friends would eventually end up with
their own stories from being with her and when they were around they would tell others who asked
their own version of our Ding Ding. Life was great for me and Ding Ding was a perfect fit. She picked on
my brother and he picked right back. We went on vacations, holidays and anything else that families do
together, all of us.
Then as Ding Ding aged she changed, she learned and she amazed me. She learned to cook, clean, pack
her lunch and do laundry. These were all things that people I think had given up hope that she could do.
Our family though knew she could do it and just helped her figure out what worked for her. I remember
being 14 years old and helping her learn to turn the k***s to little stickers my mom had put on the stove
so she could know where to set the heat to. She was amazing you see, she went from not talking and
hovering over her food with a growl if you touched it, to cooking and singing.
Life was great for years, about 15 to give you an idea of long life was so great. Then as Ding Ding aged so
did her mind. She started to forget things that she had spent years learning to do. She first started to
stumble and fall. One time this fall resulted in huge gash on her head and trip to the emergency room.
Then she would eventually be put in a wheel chair to keep her physically safe. After that it was eating
and drinking that dwindled away. My Ding Ding that was so stubborn and strong, couldn’t drink her
coffee without physical help from us, from here on out. These were all hard on me but the worst is
when you turn on her favorite song and she just has a blank stare. Not the smile, laughter and utter
enjoyment of life that she had for so many years, just a blank empty stare.
See Ding Ding ended up with Alzheimer’s as she aged. This I was told is common with people that have
her Down Syndrome once they reach a certain age. It is the hardest thing to see someone you love and
have learned so much from be put in diapers and confined to a wheelchair. This disease took her away
from me, long before her physical body was ready to go. Eventually her body was tired and she ended
up in the hospital with her lungs filling with fluid. For a week I would go visit her each day, during the
allotted time, and just pray and cry that she would just be able to laugh one last time. It is an impossibly
hard thing to see someone so full of life leave this world without one last enjoyment. That prayer was
never answered though she laid for what seemed like an eternity in the hospital on machines. Then the
family was faced with the awful choice to turn those machines off. Once they did Ding Dings tired body
was allowed to finally move from this world and be a peace. I love to think of her now as being
somewhere, far from this Earth, with her little laugh big smile and “Old Susanna” playing in the wind.
I could write many more moments about my wonderful years with Ding Ding. I won’t though I will just
leave you with this one last thought. When people love others and help others it is a wonderful recipe
for learning. I never thought at 12 when I met her that I would learn so much from her. She taught me to
fight, love, laugh, ignore others and patience. I am so grateful to the paths and people that allowed me
to spend my life with Ding Ding. I am so grateful to Ding Ding for being the biggest teacher I ever had
and shaping me to live my life the way I do now. Thanks to you Ding Ding for teaching me to laugh with
no worries and love with no limits.
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