Jeanne Franklin and Bob Magers of Georgetown made the hardest decision of their lives six years ago when they moved their daughter Lyndsey Magers (who is now 24) to Highview Terrace in Paris — a 16-bed intermediate care facility for developmentally disabled adults.

“It was so hard to have her move away,” Jeanne said. “Lyndsey has been the center of our lives since she was born, and we’ve always been so protective of her.

“We came to realize there’s only so much that parents can do for their children, and sometimes they need real-life experiences to carry them further. We are so grateful to everyone who’s been involved with Lyndsey’s care at Highview.”

Even though they divorced when Lyndsey was 13, Jeanne and Bob worked together diligently to help their disabled daughter reach her maximum potential. Jeanne and Bob also have a son, Jake Magers, who is a sophomore at Georgetown-Ridge Farm High School. He lives in Georgetown with his mother.

Bob and Jeanne feel it’s very important for both parents to remain actively involved in their children’s lives. Although divorce usually tears families apart, this family remained intact for the purpose of raising the kids.

Lyndsey has participated in Special Olympics each year since she’s been at Highview Terrace. She has gone on annual vacations with the residents and staff, and she participates in many social activities, as well as church on Sundays. She has also made a hobby of collecting pop can tabs for charity.

“I feel we’ve really been blessed by having both a daughter with special needs and a son who is healthy,” Bob said. “We’ve seen both ends of the spectrum, and we wouldn’t trade our children for any others in the world.”

Jake’s favorite hobby is riding dirt bikes and fishing.

“He’s all boy,” Jeanne said. “Early on we learned that we had to switch gears with Jake and not be as protective with him as we were with Lyndsey. But even though they’re 10 years apart, Jake is very protective of his big sister. There’s not anything that he wouldn’t do for her.”

Lyndsey’s mental and physical disabilities were diagnosed several months after birth. She has spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy. This is a neuromuscular condition of hypertonia and spasticity in the muscles of the lower extremities of the body, including the legs, hips and pelvis.

The most common cause of the disease is a sudden in-womb shortage of oxygen delivered through the umbilical cord. Officially, CP is not a progressive condition, but nerves that are damaged at birth neither recover nor get worse.

Initially, doctors thought Lindsey would never be able to walk or function in life without assistance.

“However, at a very early age Lyndsey showed such signs of determination and strength in her upper body that we knew she would reach her utmost potential,” her mother said.

Jeanne and Bob sought help from the Shriners Hospital near St. Louis, Mo., where three surgeries were performed on Lyndsey’s legs and hips. She was in double casts from her hips down to her toes, but eventually graduated to leg braces and special shoes to keep her legs aligned.

“Finally, at age 3½, Lyndsey took her first steps with the assistance of a walker, and she’s been going strong ever since,” Jeanne said. After that, Lyndsey learned to swim and ride a three-wheel bicycle.

Lyndsey had years of physical, speech and occupational therapy at Crosspoint Human Services in Danville. She attended Westville schools, starting in an early Childhood Development Program and continuing through high school.

Because she had attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, it was very difficult for Lyndsey to stay on task at school. Jean Burton, a personal aide, was hired by the school district to assist her in the classroom setting.

“Jean is our true hero,” Jeanne said. “She even convinced Lyndsey to participate in cheerleading, which she loved.” Outside of school, Lyndsey was also in Girl Scouts.

Lyndsey and her family coped with problems that most people can’t even imagine. She broke all of her toes several times because she naturally walked on her toes at first. When Jake learned to walk, he mimicked his sister’s awkward walk and asked where his braces were. Doing homework was an ongoing struggle — not only for Lyndsey, but for her parents as well.

“Lyndsey has always been a trooper,” Jeanne said. “We couldn’t have brought her along this far if it wasn’t for her determination and the help of our family and friends.

“Even though we’ve been through a lot in our lives, we are all happy now. We’ve all moved on to continue our lives in the best way we know how. As for Lyndsey’s future, we’ll have to take one step at a time — just like we’ve always done.”

Jeanne works full-time for the University of Illinois Extension, Vermilion County Unit. Bob works full-time at the Veterans Affairs Illiana Health Care System as a maintenance technician. One of Lyndsey’s favorite activities is to visit home on weekends to see family and friends, including her pet beagle, Molly.