“When Aaryan is happy, we’re all happy”
Aaryan is eighteen and lives in Dundee with his mother, Pronita and father, Subhayu. Aaryan’s brother, Agnijo, lives at university in Cambridge most of the time but visits when he can. Pronita shares her son’s journey with us.
Can you tell us about Aaryan?
“Aaryan has Down’s syndrome, which he was diagnosed with as a baby, learning difficulties, and autism which he was diagnosed with around age three. Aaryan loves music, is funny and cheeky. He’s a real charmer, and brings a lot of joy into our lives!”
How do you care for Aaryan?
“We care for Aaryan 24/7. He needs to be bathed and cleaned, he can eat by himself but I would need to cook for him. Even when Aaryan has carers around, we need to be here in case he reacts negatively to something. I care for Aaryan during the day, and my husband takes over at night because Aaryan has sleep apnea. It’s challenging.
“Up until COVID, Aaryan attended a Special Educational Needs (SEN) school, but after COVID, he struggled to go back to school. He found it very hard to cope with.”
Talk us through this time
“Aaryan used to enjoy school and had lots of friends, but after COVID, he struggled to cope. When his brother, Agnijo, moved to university, Aaryan’s mental health suffered even more, and he struggled to have other people in the house, even familiar family and friends. It was hard for us, as parents, to see him like this, and we just wanted the old Aaryan back.”
“We decided it was best to take Aaryan out of school, and by this time he was able to access adult services. Now he is at home 24/7 with carers a couple of hours per day. We have built an annexe for him, with more space.
“Aaryan is becoming himself again now. He has started doing adapted cycling which he enjoys! And I’m now able to leave long enough during the day to walk the dog, which is nice.”
When did you find Family Fund?
“After COVID, we knew Aaryan’s grandparents were going to visit from India. We had missed them so much, but as a family, we were really down at this point, because of Aaryan’s mental health.
“Caring for a loved one with such high needs can be very isolating and frustrating. You feel overlooked. We don’t often get to do the same things many other families do, so when we received money towards a break from Family Fund, we were so happy. Without their help, we probably would never have done it. Their help gave us that push.
“We decided to go to the Highlands together. It allowed us all to travel as a family together, and spend time with Aaryan’s grandparents who we hadn’t seen in so long. We had the best time, and talk about it often. When Aaryan is happy, we’re all happy.”
Why are you sharing your story today?
“Aaryan has made us all better human beings. We are all more caring, understanding and tolerant thanks to him. Family Fund acknowledged us and supported us when we needed it, allowing us to create lots of happy family memories. If our story helps Family Fund help other families, we are happy.”