My Double Life!

MY DOUBLE LIFE AS A SWEDE/ENGLISHMAN WITH PRADER-WILLI SYNDROME

(Anders' mother, Jean Phillips Martinsson, was IPWSO's first President from 1991 to 1998 and the founder of IPWSO - ed.)

My name is Paul Anders Martinsson and I live in Sweden. I'm now 48 yrs. old and have always loved my double life!

My father was Swedish and my mother is English. I wasn't diagnosed with PWS until I was 14 years old. It was then I decided that I wanted to learn English and follow in my mother's footsteps by going to boarding school in the UK. On arrival I spoke no English but, after 2 yrs there, I was completely fluent – contrary to advice given to us by the Swedish specialists, who insisted that my parents should only speak the one language to me – not both. 

I shall never forget those 2 years, especially when I joined the ATC Air Training Squadron and was awarded a Flying Certificate!

The only thing I missed during those 2 yrs in the UK were my judo classes.  I started learning when I was 8 yrs. old.  Today I still have Solveig, the same teacher, masses of gold, silver and bronze medals and a brown belt.

Since I was 22 yrs. old, I've been living in a group-home with six others who have PWS. We all love it and have our own 45 sq.m. apartments, with balconies and our own garden plots.  We go to work every day, and have been living together for 26 yrs. 

Beside these 6 friends, I have many others, without PWS, whom I've known since I was born. I still have regular contact with them. We go to the cinema, concerts, musicals, and work on computers, smartphones and tablets together. They always come to my annual birthday party, where I invite them all for fruit salad, light ice-cream and alcohol-free cider. I also have a wonderful Ethiopian girl-friend!

Photo:   Anders receiving his award for participating in IPWSO's 6th conference in Romania, with one of his own paintings on the wall depicting his holiday in Burma with the Orang-utans.