Maureen McCormick is best known to most as the actress that played the character of oldest daughter Marcia Brady on The Brady Bunch. However, a select few will know the actress better as a hero in the special-needs community. The reason that Maureen is so passionate about the topic is that she has a brother with special needs herself. Maureen’s brother Dennis has special needs, and she and her husband have been his caretakers since his and Maureen’s parents passed away. Fans of the Brady Bunch actress have grown to adore the select few glimpses they get of Maureen and Dennis’ relationship via social media. A recent glimpse showed that Maureen has a love for her brother so profound that it makes her cry. Join Facts Verse as we explore how Maureen McCormick’s brother is bringing tears to her eyes.
Maureen McCormick Is a Special-Needs Advocate
Ever since the late 1960s, Maureen McCormick has been best known to the public as Marcia Brady. This has proven both a blessing and a curse for the actress, though she has grown to accept being pigeonholed as the character. Marcia Brady is the role that made Maureen famous, and she has never been given the chance to top it. To her dying day, Maureen will likely remain best known to the public as Marcia. However, that doesn’t mean that the actress hasn’t accomplished anything else in her lifetime. In her personal life, Maureen has done a great deal for those with special needs. The reason that the actress is so passionate about the topic won’t surprise those that have been following her in recent years. Maureen has a brother with special needs, and she and her husband have been his caretakers since his and Maureen’s mother passed away from cancer years back.
For the most part, Maureen McCormick is content with remaining known to the public as Marcia Brady. However, every once in a while, the actress gives fans a peak into her personal life. The best way to get a peak behind the veil at the real Maureen is to follow her via social media. Maureen is active on social media sites such as Instagram, where she routinely shares about her personal life. Sometimes, that includes heartwarming videos of her and Dennis.
Maureen Shared a Heartwarming Thanksgiving Video
Just recently, to celebrate Thanksgiving of 2022, Maureen posted an especially heartwarming video paying tribute to both her brother and the general spirit of the holiday. Maureen is a woman that puts family first even beyond her relationship with her brother, and she’s especially fond of holiday celebrations. Maureen has been with husband Michael Cumming since 1985, and they have a daughter together by the name of Natalie. Natalie is now in her 30s, and her and her mother are still very close. The video showed that, even after all these years, Maureen’s love for her brother still has the power to bring tears to her eyes.
The video showed Maureen and her brother dancing to a song, with Dennis appearing to be enjoying the close moment with his sister quite a bit. Maureen can be heard asking Dennis if he likes the music, to which he enthusiastically responds that he does. Understandably, the moment touched the heart of all the fans that watched the video. Some even expressed that they were jealous of Maureen and her brother’s close relationship!
Heartwarming content like this video is what keeps fans endeared by Maureen McCormick after all these years. At the age of 66, Maureen has had her fair share of ups and downs. Through it all, she has maintained a stable family life. Much of this was imparted on the actress and her brother by their own parents. The way that Maureen cares for her brother isn’t a coincidence. These values were instilled in the actress as she was growing up. She is simply treating her brother the same way that her parents did. Since their death, the torch has now been passed on to her. If videos like this recent one are any indication, she’s doing an excellent job!
Maureen’s Parents Were Ahead of the Curve
The way that Maureen McCormick’s parents cared for her special-needs brother is something extraordinary when you consider the historical context. At the time that Dennis was diagnosed as having special needs, the thing that the majority of parents were advised to do in such situations was lock the kid up and throw away the key. When confronted with the advice to put Dennis into an institution, his parents firmly stood their ground. They chose to take care of Dennis in their own way, and it seems he’s all the better for it!
Dennis my not be able to take care of himself, but that doesn’t mean that he’s not living his best life. With the care of people like his late parents and his famous sister, Dennis seems to be living quite the happy life, indeed! Maureen and Dennis’ mom was the last of their parents to die. After she passed away, enough advances had been made in the field that Dennis was temporarily sent to an institution. However, even after all the positive changes that had been made in regards to those with special needs in the time since Dennis was growing up, he still didn’t like the institution lifestyle.
Once he became apparent that Dennis and the institution weren’t going to mix, Maureen quickly took it upon herself to file for conservatorship over her brother. The actress was successful without much fuss, and she has been taking care of his ever since. It’s great that Maureen doesn’t have to go it alone, as she has her longtime, loving husband by her side. Miraculously, Michael is just as invested in Dennis’ happiness as Maureen is. He has never batted an eye when it comes to helping Dennis like he was a brother of his own.
Maureen Is a Global Ambassador for the Special Olympics
Understandably, special-needs advocacy has become a pretty big part of Maureen McCormick’s life. The actress has even come to be considered a “Global Ambassador” for the Special Olympics. According to the actress, that fact that his sister has attained such a status with the organization entertains her brother quite a bit. Dennis is apparently a pretty serious admirer of the Special Olympics, as he and his sister grew up watching it and continue to do so today.
Prior to the recent sharing of her Thanksgiving video, Maureen shared another heartwarming video of herself and her brother in October. October just so happens to be the month of Dennis’ birthday, and the video showed a glimpse of the incredible celebration that his sister gave him. For Dennis’ birthday, Maureen hired the popular musician Joe Newberry to sing a rendition of “Happy Birthday to You” live and in person! Apparently, Dennis is a pretty big fan of the musician and he was understandably star-struck. The video showed Maureen and her brother watching the musician in awe while singing along. As one might imagine, it proved a very memorable moment for Dennis. Like the later video in November, it also touched the hearts of everyone that saw it!
Maureen was incredibly grateful that Joe Newberry agreed to perform for Dennis’ birthday. Though having a personal performance from Joe isn’t an everyday occurrence in the McCormick household, Maureen claims that she makes it her mission to treat everyday as if it’s her brother’s birthday. With all that she does for her brother and all that she has done for the greater special-needs community, it’s no wonder that Maureen is considered a hero of sorts.
Maureen Has Become a Bit of a Reality-Television Star
Besides special-needs advocacy, another thing that Maureen McCormick has become known for in recent years is her proclivity for appearing on reality television. Sometimes, these two aspects of the actress’ life mix. One such occasion occurred in 2015, when Maureen appeared on the reality-television series I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! Maureen used her appearance on the series to draw attention to people like her brother that have special needs. Her appearance on the series saw her competing on behalf of an organization by the name of Achieve Australia. Achieve Australia’s mission is to help provide support to special-needs people that are trying to live independently.
Another heartwarming thing that Maureen has shared about her and her brother via social media is an image of the two of them growing up that she posted in the summer of 2019. The image showed fans exactly what it was like for the two of them growing up in the home of their loving parents. Though it may seem like Maureen has had the perfect life ever since portraying the character of Marcia Brady on The Brady Bunch, that isn’t entirely true. The actress faced many hardships after the series came to an end in 1974, and it took her many years to get her life to the place it is now.
After The Brady Bunch came to an end, Maureen suffered from image problems that caused her to develop bulimia. Bulimia caused the actress to turn to substance abuse, and this is how she ended up hitting rock bottom. Maureen had troubling breaking out from the shadow of Marcia Brady. Though she had trouble finding employment outside of playing the character, she has reprised the character multiple times since the end of the original series. Once such occasions was via The Brady Wives. The Brady Wives was a spin-off of the original series, revolving around Marcia starting a Brady bunch of her own. It was during the production of this short-lived series that she hit rock bottom. Maureen has been open about her personal issues, and this part of her life is arguably another thing that has helped make her into the empathetic person that she is today.
Maureen McCormick fans can’t get enough of the Brady Bunch actress sharing video of her and her special-needs brother on social media. Now it’s time to here from you: did you know that Maureen McCormick and her husband are the caretakers of her special-needs brother, and that the actress has become known in recent years for her advocacy in the special-needs community? Comment down below!
