Soul mates

Cade Holden and Danielle Martin, both 20, met in school when they were 8 years old. He has Down syndrome and she has autism. Inseparable and in love, they are engaged to be married, though they are waiting to get jobs before setting a date.

“We always look at their relationship as a fairy tale,” says Martin’s mother, Sharon Martin. “They are sweet together. Where one lacks the other will pick up.”

Thanks to family and friends and Whole Children and Milestones, programs in Hadley that provides educational and social opportunities for people with developmental disabilities, they have the support they need to keep their relationship strong and healthy.

“She is beautiful and she is nice to me,” Holden says. “She comforts me if I feel down.”

Their story, with a video, begins on Page C1.