"Jon catalyzed a complete change of values for our family. Before we had Jon we were part of the cocktail party set. After having Jon, things like joining the country club and keeping up with the Jones's seemed so petty and superficial to us.
 
Having Jon and making the decision to put him in a nursing home made me realize my strength. Going through such a difficult and painful process and getting to the other side made me see the difference between real values and phony values. It made us grow up.
 
There's no question that Jon has taught me patience, and compassion and how to let go. He helped me in my psychotherapy practice in some unexpected ways. For example, we had arranged to have our offices in our home so that we could be close to Jon. Many times while I was seeing someone Jon would knock on the door and ask for something to eat or drink or to change the channel on the TV. Just seeing Jon standing there in his Mickey Mouse T-shirt and underwear, oftentimes helped the person I was seeing to put their problem in perspective.
 
We learned from Jon how to live our life by choosing how to live our life, rather than being a victim of circumstances. It turned out to be a more meaningful life, it put things in perspective, and we don't sweat the small stuff anymore. Without Jon our life would have gone one way, and with Jon our life went this way. And we've always valued this way more."