Learn more about Cal, an amazing warrior with Down syndrome. Down syndrome | #nothingdownaboutit | #upsyndrome | the lucky few | Down syndrome awareness | trisomy 21 | #morealikethandifferent | disability advocate | special needs | special needs family | special needs parenting | inclusion | inclusion matters
Read MoreLearn more about Exton, an amazing warrior with Down syndrome. Down syndrome | #nothingdownaboutit | #upsyndrome | the lucky few | Down syndrome awareness | trisomy 21 | #morealikethandifferent | disability advocate | special needs | special needs family | special needs parenting | inclusion | inclusion matters
Read MoreWhen my husband and I found out we were pregnant, we were so excited. We weren't exactly planning for a baby just yet, but we couldn't wait to be parents. I chose to take a blood test at 10 weeks to find out the gender, but we were surprised with much more. When the results came in at about 15 weeks, I got a call to come in to my OB’s office, and I did not like the tone of voice on the other end of the line. My husband and I reluctantly went to the appointment, expecting horrible news. We were told at first that it was Turner's syndrome, and then they thought it might be Trisomy 18 or Trisomy 21. I was crushed. What I took from our conversation was that we were not going to be able to keep our baby.
Read MoreI spent weeks mourning the loss of the life we planned. A life where my child could run and hike and surf and grow to be anything he wanted. A life where I would bring my child home from the hospital. Where each minor cold would not cause panic and anxiety. I wondered in those weeks if my child would have the opportunity to feel my arms, to rest his broken heart against mine. I wondered if the only life he would ever know would be cold and painful and ruled by hospital policy. I wondered if choosing a course for him that would guarantee pain and complication was selfish. Was I choosing a life he would not have chosen for himself?
Read More
