Last month, you heard from Lindsay Shabet, as she shared about growing up with her brother, Jake, who was born with Down syndrome. If you didn’t get a chance to read Part One of this series with Lindsay, you can find it here! Today, I will be sharing Part Two of this series with Julia Toronczak, who grew up with a twin brother, named Michael, who was born with Down syndrome.

Tell me about your family:

My name is Julia, I’m 23 years old born and raised in San Diego, California. My twin brother, Michael, is the absolute light of my life. His endless kindness and unconditional love continue to inspire me to be my best self every day. Michael may have Down syndrome, but I’m forever grateful and blessed to have him as my twin brother. My parents were 40 when they had Michael and I. They had no idea Michael had Down syndrome until we were born. But to my mom, Michael and I were perfect. She loved both of us regardless of what diagnosis we may have had.

What was it like growing up with Michael?

Michael was my best friend growing up. We endlessly played together, whether it be inside or outside of our house on our lawn. I never questioned angrily why Michael was different. I simply understood. My mom would let me know that Michael was a little different from me, but we get to love him even more. This state of innocence persisted as we grew older, and I shared my love for Michael to all of those around me.

How does your family respond to people asking questions or making comments about Michael?

I personally love receiving questions regarding Michael. I am committed to sharing the beauty behind the face of Down Syndrome. I am committed to educating others around me of what Down Syndrome really looks like. There’s no such thing as a “dumb” question. So many people ask questions that may seem offensive, but they don’t know they’re offensive- they simply want to understand more about our community. I truly believe we should applaud them for caring enough to ask about our loved ones.

As an advocate, I welcome any and all questions as an opportunity to #ShoutTheirWorth. I am committed to responding back with kindness, patience, and love. Exactly like how we’ve been taught by our loved ones.

What do you wish people knew about Michael?

I am committed to sharing the lessons I’ve learned in unconditional love through Michael, to empower the world to heal and achieve what makes their heart sing. I strive to educate others about the life lessons we can learn from these individuals. Many values, like patience, forgiveness, unconditionally loving others, and unconditionally loving yourself are exceptionally taught by individuals like Michael.

What do you wish you could tell other families who just welcomed home a child with disabilities?

Congratulations! You are so blessed to have a best friend in your life who will love and support you through everything you do in your life. You have the best teacher you could have ever asked for to guide you towards finding the beauty in life. The journey may get rough at times, but when you look beyond the waves, you will discover exactly why you’ve been blessed with your loved one.

To learn more about Julia and Michael, you can visit their website (www.beyondthewavesblog.com) and follow @beyondthewavesblog on Instagram!