'He probably has unlimited love': St. George man reflects on life with twin with Down syndrome

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Jordan and Logan Fowlke are unique twins; Jordan has Down syndrome and Logan doesn't.
• Logan describes Jordan as a gift, emphasizing their close, loving relationship.
• Jordan enjoys community interactions and church activities, spreading positivity and love.

ST. GEORGE — Jordan and Logan Fowlke are twin brothers with a unique and rare connection — Jordan Fowlke has Down syndrome, and Logan Fowlke doesn't.

This is a condition that happens in a discordant twin pregnancy, where the twins grow at different rates. Down syndrome itself is rare, occurring in 1 in 1,000 live births globally. Twins are relatively less rare in the world, happening in 1 in approximately 80 births. Twins with one having Down syndrome and the other without only happen in an estimated 1 out of 2 million births.

"He is God's gift to us," Logan Fowlke told KSL. "It's a gift, and he's the test that we have to pass by giving him incredible love and support."

Jordan Fowlke loves meeting new people in the community and at church activities. KSL recently sat down with the two brothers, and Jordan Fowlke was quick to insert a "Guess what?" and then talk all about the things that make him happy.

"Guess what? I get to go to mutual in September," Jordan Fowlke said excitedly.

He attends special needs mutual, which Logan Fowlke explained is a local gathering put on by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jordan Fowlke also has a church calling where he sits with the children weekly in primary to help them stay quiet.

"He loves people," Logan Fowlke said. "He loves God, and he loves Jesus. He carries his scriptures around with him everywhere he goes. He loves the Bible."

Logan Fowlke said that growing up with a twin brother with Down syndrome was just part of life, and he did everything he could when they were little to make Jordan feel included.

"My mom told me that when we were little and would play with neighbors, that I would always make sure Jordan was included and that he get didn't get hurt," Logan Fowlke said. "When we were little, I was his best friend. I can honestly say that these days, he's definitely my best friend."

Growing up with a brother with special needs wasn't always easy, and Logan Fowlke said that there were years where he didn't always want Jordan around.

"We all have our own journey, and we all go through different stages of our lives, and I will tell you that I actually didn't know what I had in him until I was older," he said. "I didn't realize what an incredible treat it is to have him as a twin brother."

Interestingly enough, the brothers are not the only set of twins in their family. They have two older sisters who are twins, and Logan said that having Jordan as a brother taught him to have a more tender heart.

"I have been lucky, and honestly if he weren't Downs, I would be getting in a lot of sibling quarrels," he said. "Having a special needs twin has taught me so much. It's taught me how to truly love like God would love."

Logan Fowlke recalled leaving for his church mission to Knoxville, Tennessee, as a young adult, and having a moment at the Missionary Training Center when he broke down crying as he came to the realization that he wouldn't see his brother for two years. Logan Fowlke was also a recent recipient of a kidney transplant, and he reflected on a tender interaction with his brother prior to surgery.

"Jordan looks at me like, 'What are you doing? What's going on?" Logan Fowlke recalled. "As I went in, he said, 'Be careful, OK.' He just has these cute little ways of reassuring and telling me, 'Hey I still need you here. Let's stick together."

The two have been holding weekly movie nights every Friday, which is something Jordan Fowlke spearheaded. Some of his favorites include, "Mulan," "Cars," "The Lion King," and recently, he has been watching a television series from his childhood — "Full House."

"Everywhere we go, Jordan loves to talk to people," he said. "He loves to introduce himself to people, and he just loves to be that positive vibe for people. His capacity to love is something that I need to learn for the rest of my life. He just has so much love to give. He probably has unlimited love."

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The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.

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Arianne Brown

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Arianne Brown is a reporter covering southern Utah communities, with a focus on heart-warming stories and local happenings. She has been a reporter for 14 years.