well considering I lived with a severly handicapped son for a little over a year I would say yes. My son was born with HPE, basically he had a stroke in utero and his brain stopped developing very early on. He was born with very little brain matter and tons of complications. We decided to have the baby and do everything in our power to keep him comfortable while he was alive, we had him on various forms of pain medication and monitored him very closely. it was hard but I think it brought our family closer together and now we help other families out who are in similar situations. I fully underestand that some people can't handle it.
the time my family spent with my son was some of the most touching moments in my life, my son and daughter are much stronger for helping out with thier brother and cherish the memories they have of him.