An Excess of Lemons
— Neil Genzlinger

Neil Genzlinger and his wife, Donna Dee Genzlinger, live in New Jersey with their daughter Abby, who has been living with Rett syndrome for almost three decades. He retired in 2023 after 29 years at The New York Times and worked previously at The Washington Post, The Hartford Courant, and The Central Maine Morning Sentinel.

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Opening day, and that time a ribbon wasn’t the only thing that was cut

My daughter Abby has probably scored more runs than any player in the history of her baseball league. She’s also never won a game. She’ll continue to add to those impressive statistics next weekend, when the Miracle League of Mercer County, New Jersey, opens its spring season and…

‘Spread the Word Day’ reminds me of our own encounter with the R-word

The service organization Best Buddies International has had a campaign going this month to “End the R-Word,” as the subject line in an email it sent out a few weeks ago put it. Best Buddies, which creates social and job opportunities for people with intellectual disabilities, has been conducting this…

A song, an obit, and a special needs parent meltdown

My last job at The New York Times, where I worked in various writing and editing positions for almost 30 years before retiring in 2023, was as an obituary writer. Almost all of the hundreds of obituaries I wrote were assigned to me by editors, who reviewed the daily list…

What we’ve learned in 29 years as Rett syndrome parents

Our daughter, Abby, who has Rett syndrome, just turned 29. It’s the kind of number that makes a parent think, “Can that possibly be right?” And, “Good golly, we’ve been doing this for a long time.” Abby may or may not care about birthdays, but if she does, she’s…