It’s such a simple sentence.
Three little words that carry the weight of what so many young people with disability experience every day – wanting friendship, inclusion, fun and independence just like everybody else.
“YES, YOU COME TOO”
There’s something particularly beautiful about little boys who are twins.
Before the world starts separating them, they move through life as a pair – muddy feet, shared bedrooms, secret jokes, matching sunburn at the beach.
Tom and Lachie were like that.
As little boys growing up in Brisbane, they were inseparable. Bath time together. Backyard adventures together. Same room. Same routines. Same childhood.
But slowly, almost invisibly at first, life began opening up differently for each of them.
Lachie’s world expanded in all the ways you hope it will for a young person. Footy games. Sleepovers. Camping trips. Birthday parties. Last-minute invitations. A growing circle of mates.
And Tom?
Tom watched a lot of it from the sidelines.
Tom lives with Down syndrome and intellectual disability and, as the years rolled on, his mum Tina noticed something heartbreaking unfolding between her boys – not in their love for each other, that never changed – but in the opportunities available to them.
“Tom wanted so much to be like his twin,” Tina says.
“When we’d go to Lachie’s rugby games, Tom would be on the sidelines and it hit me, Tom was always on the sideline.”
Then came the sentence Tina clearly remembers.
As Lachie grabbed his things and headed out with friends, Tom would quietly ask:
“Tom come too?”
It’s such a simple sentence.
Three little words that carry the weight of what so many young people with disability experience every day – wanting friendship, inclusion, fun and independence just like everybody else.
For Tina, watching her sons’ worlds drift further apart was incredibly painful.
Then came BestLife. And slowly, life changed.
Tom joined the BestLife community 13 years ago. Today, at 25, he has friendships, fun, confidence and independence. He has weekends he looks forward to.
Sleepovers. Shared meals. Laughter. Belonging.
Perhaps most importantly, he has a place where he feels valued.
Tina says one of her favourite things is hearing Tom proudly tell his brother when he has a BestLife sleepover coming up.
That sense of excitement – of having your own plans, your own people, your own life – is something many of us take for granted. But for families like Tom’s, it often doesn’t exist.
And, sadly, there are still many young people across Brisbane waiting for that same opportunity.
Young people who are still on the sidelines.
This EOFY, BestLife is working to create more opportunities for friendship, independence and connection for young people with disability – so more families can hear the words:
“Yes, you come too.”
If you can please consider donating to our EOFY Appeal.
PS check out Tom enjoying the Broncos visit! here – The Broncos Drop In.