Unconditional love 'WHAT BROOKLYN TEACHES US'

Despite being ‘trapped’ in her body, the wee girl enriches the lives of those she meets

- Fleur Guthrie

Every time someone sings Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or her big brother plants a kiss on her forehead, little Brooklyn Cassidy breaks into the biggest smile.

Despite being born with Rett syndrome, a rare neurological disorder seen almost exclusively in females, and which renders the threeyear-old “trapped in her own body”, Brooklyn still experiences a full range of emotions and understands more than she can express.

Take bedtime, for example.  When her parents, Christina and Isaiah Cassidy, who share a strong Christian faith, say a nightly prayer with Brooklyn and son Kingston, five, they’re amazed when their almost non-verbal daughter resiliently tries her best to be included.

“Sometimes she looks intently at each of us and tries to mumble, and then we hear her say ‘Amen!’ It’s so cool when those moments happen,” smiles her mum from their West Auckland home, adding through the night, Brooklyn often babbles away and cracks herself up. “In her mind, she has a lot to say!”

Sharing their story with the Weekly during Rare Disorders Awareness Month, the couple describe Rett syndrome as a mix between Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and cerebral palsy. There are currently between 40-60 Kiwi girls aff ected by the genetic condition. For Brooklyn, it means she can’t speak, sit up or move on her own and struggles with seizures.