This Man With Down Syndrome Is Retiring From A 35-Year Job Doctors Said He"d Never Have

We’ve come a long way as a society since the mid-20th Century, especially in the realms of science and medicine. In 1960, when Andrew MacEachern was born, his parents were told that his Down Syndrome meant he would never learn to read or write, and wouldn’t be fit to have a job. 

But at 55 years old, Andrew is retiring from his job at Victoria General Hospital (VG) after an impressive 35 years as a delivery and stores clerk.

So of course, all of his co-workers threw him a party!

“I have a lots of friends here, I’ll miss everybody. I had a wonderful time here,” he said. “I’m going to miss this place very much.”

Many of his co-workers called him “mayor of the VG.”

Everyone seems to agree that it’s Andrew’s winning personality that will be missed the most, even pranks like hiding chairs when people aren’t looking.

He has a great retirement gift, too: a Caribbean cruise! Lucky guy!

His sister, Catriona wants employers everywhere to know Andrew’s story. “Include people like my brother in your focus when you’re going to go hiring,” she said.

Andrew has confirmed what we all know now: no matter a person’s perceived limitations, they can live a happy, fulfilled life as part of the community.