Jaime Rose Delott left us Thursday, November 5, 2009 while in loving care of family and medical personnel who fought with her valiantly and persistently to save her young life. Jaime Rose was a delightful individual, beautiful, bright, fun, funny, insightful, intuitive, and incredibly strong in both body and Spirit. When sweet baby James was just three months old, her two year old sister Katie informed that her “ picnic name (was) Jubie Ruby Don’t Fall Down.” She had many picnic names.

Born to Greg and Lillie Delott, November 28, 1994, a healthy newborn of natural full term birth, Jubie Ruby surprised us all presenting the random genetic anomaly trisomy 21, commonly referred to as Down syndrome. Jaime Rose also had a VSD among several other diagnoses, as well as a place on the high functioning curve of the Autistic spectrum. She taught us all that normal is a dryer setting, and there is nothing typical on this earth. She was incredibly strong and healthy most of her life, yet a random, e-coli 0157-H7 infection, contracted from a source yet unknown, ravaged her health and took her sweet life from our breathing presence.

Jaime Rose had incredible perseverance, multiple talents, and a beautiful sense of humor which always surprised, especially her timing and wit. Her journey with us was brief, ended just nearly three weeks before her fifteenth birthday. Her brother called her Darth Doodle, her sister called her Toast, but most specialists and educators usually called her an enigma. Enigma Rose lived with determination, crashing through the masks of stereotypes, dispelling myths about “disorders” which she would prefer to call mere differences, or even variety. She often seemed to teach us more than we could offer to teach her. Because of physical differences, she had challenges, yet she challenged us more so, to get her to express what she had learned. She was a challenge in the best sense, prompting those around her to do more and try harder than they otherwise would have. The only stereotype she would embrace is that tenacity is on the 21 chromosome, and she had three!

The Jubester was a unique and special person unlike anyone else one may ever encounter. Meeting her was always memorable. She marveled everyone she knew, bringing her parents to more formally organize what is now the Triangle Down Syndrome Network. Her birth and development inspired her mother to organize family and friends to contribute to a New Parent Notebook of family stories, resources, and information, given to families on the diagnosis of trisomy 21. In school, she inspired classmates and teachers, and helped fellow students with her favorite subjects, science and reading. She loved music, dancing, animals and yoga. Jaime Rose was so amazing that she even resolved her own VSD (heart defect) at age 13 through meditation.

Jaime loved many people, and many people loved her. Her special best friend for life was her Aunt Brenda and she was also very close to Grandma’ma’ Lil. She was preceded in death by Granddaddy Herb Harward , Aunt Herbie Jean Grout, and great Aunt Sonne Shanker. She is survived by her parents, Lillie and Greg Delott, her brother Simon and sister Katie; her grandmother Lil Harward of Cary, Aunt Brenda Harward of Apex, Aunt Henrietta Cummings of Siler City, Uncle Lloyd Harward of Raleigh, many cousins, aunts, and uncles in North Carolina; Grandparents Beverly and Papa Jer Delott, Auntie Andi Delott, and great Uncle Bernie Shanker all of Pacific Palisades, California.

Her entire family is grateful for all the support and kindness of so many friends and professionals in the Wake County school system as well as Duke University Medical Center, Wake Medical Center, and other caregivers throughout her life. Though she is no longer with us in body, her strong Spirit remains to continue inspiring us, teaching us, guiding us.