The Art of Survival Terry Gordon reaches for her group home roommate Irene Pinole. The affection and words of love are repeated all day long. Statistically speaking, Irene should have been dead by the age of 10. Against the longest of odds for a child with Down syndrome in her era, Irene grew up and grew old. Now she is 76, ranking her among the oldest Down survivors on record.

Anne Chadwick Williams, Sacramento Bee