Tuesday, June 15, 2010

A Marriage Worth the Wait


Just an outstanding story by The Staten Island Advance. In 1998, we had two individuals -- Marty and Anna -- who both lived at Willowbrook for years. They will celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary in September.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Burt Petrone, 88, and the former Barbara LaRoy, 72, celebrated their 25th anniversary Tuesday. It should have been their 30th anniversary, but it took five years for the state of New York to grant them a marriage license.
This is not your typical love story.
Burt and Barbara, both born with developmental disabilities, were institutionalized as adolescents in the former Willowbrook State School, where they suffered intolerable conditions for a combined total of 43 years.

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