Tim has always had his big brother Kirk by his side.

“I watched my parents as they struggled to find support for him, so I have that understanding of where families are coming from,” Kirk said.

Born with Down Syndrome, Tim would face his toughest battle in June 2020 when he was hospitalized with COVID.

“We got a call at 3 in the morning from the doctor saying, do you want all life-sustaining measures or do you want to have a DNR order put in place,” Kirk said. “I said Tim has a lot of living left to do, he wants to fight this.”

As the executive director for Schenectady ARC, a non-profit organization that offers support and housing for people with developmental disabilities, Kirk has built a career out of helping others.

He didn’t want his brother on a ventilator and was permitted to join Tim during his hospital stay, to advocate and communicate on his behalf.

“I don’t think he would have survived, he needed someone there who knew him,” Kirk said. “If they said stay out, it would have been really difficult for them to get to know him and help him the way he needed to be helped.”

But, that wasn’t the case for everyone.

A few months earlier in March 2020, Fred D’Amico passed away in the hospital, alone. He was autistic and COVID restrictions at the time prohibited staff from allowing his parents to be in the hospital room.

The tragedy led to the passing of Fred’s Law, which allows people with disabilities someone to assist them with medical care during a state emergency or pandemic.

“Even before COVID, people with disabilities entering a hospital or emergency setting end up staying 8 times longer than someone going in for the very same thing, part of that is because of barriers in communication,” Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara said.

Assemblyman Santabarbara worked on the series of bills. For him it's not just professional, it's personal. His son, Michael was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old. 

“You may think that I taught my son things through life, but the truth is he’s taught me way more than I could ever teach him,” Santabarbara said.  

As for Tim and Kirk, they’re grateful they can continue their traditions, and the opportunity to make new memories together.