Sydney, Australia — John Patrick Doyle, a famous personality in the Australian entertainment industry who is also known as Roy Slaven of the duo called Roy and HG, recently revealed his sister’s battle against autism and the struggle their family have had to deal along with it.
Doyle’s revelation was made in a bid to help others who are also struggling with the developmental condition.
He recalled how his sister, Jennifer, didn’t start walking until she was three years old, and hadn’t started speaking until she was already five years of age. Doyle told A Current Affair,
“For Jen it’s been a life in a nightmare, her whole life has been a nightmare,”
“The whole world has made no sense to her.”
Doyle recounted how difficult it was for his sister to cope with her condition, at a time when no help was available to individuals struggling with the developmental disorder. He told:
“The frustration she would scream, she would try and drag herself out of her own body, it was a most terrible thing to witness and there was most nothing we could do.”
Jennifer didn’t get a diagnosis until she turned 11, when their parents decided to bring her to Sydney to see Dr. Andrew Vern Barnett. Since then, they’ve dedicated their lives to taking of her right until the moment they passed away.
Doyle decided to put her in a care home after they died.
These days, Doyle is dedicated to lobbying for better services for individuals with autism, raising awareness on the developmental disorder, and working closely with Autism Spectrum Australia in hopes of bettering the lives of those affected by the disability.
According to Doyle:
“For my sister and all of those in her generation the boat has sailed, but the ship is there for the next generation and there is no excuse for those kids not to be on that ship.”
Source: 9news.com.au Comedy legend John Doyle reveals sister’s lifelong battle with autism