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12 | THE REVIEW JAN-APR 2023 Grandparenting a child with Cerebral Palsy Anne Donnell and her mother Rosemary MacKenzie pay tribute to their grandson and great-grandson Shane White. By MELANIE LOUDEN Parenting. It’s not easy. But in the words of Anne Donnell and her mother Rosemary MacKenzie, “grandparenting is harder”, and brings with it amazing rewards. Between them Anne (aka Nana) and Rosemary (great- Grandma, known as Grandma) have 10 children and 10 great grandchildren. In 2005, one of Anne’s grandchildren, Gary, moved in with her and her two young sons. Gary was two years old at the time, and her sons were aged eight and four. A few years later Gary’s half- brothers Isaiah and Shane moved in with Rosemary. Isaiah was two years old; Shane was just six weeks old. Another six weeks later, Shane was diagnosed with Spastic Quadriplegia Cerebral Palsy. He was three months old. Sadly, Shane passed away on December 26, 2020, at the age of 12. Isaiah and Shane lived with their great-grandparents, Grandma Rosemary and Grandad Allan, for five years before joining Top: Anne Donnell with her grandsons Isaiah, left, and Shane, when they were six and four. Above: Shane, two, was adored by his great-Grandma Rosemary, left, and his Nana Anne.

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