“I felt like I was holding my breath for the remaining 27 weeks. Was I going to be able to love him as much as I love Lucas? I thought the Down syndrome label would consume this little being, that he would be more Down syndrome’s son than mine.”
‘Oh no!’ I cried. I thought this only happened in movies. The doctor said, ‘I’m so sorry.’: Mom describes having Down syndrome baby, ‘I would choose him again and again’
‘You could have an abortion. At least save yourself.’ I was pregnant with my first baby, and planning his funeral.’: Woman encouraged to terminate baby with down syndrome, ‘We can’t control what our lives will bring us’
“A week later, I got a phone call from the abortion clinic to schedule an appointment. It turns out my doctor and his wife aborted their child with down syndrome because they thought he or she would become a burden. He thought I should do the same.”
‘I don’t want this life. I’m not cut out for this!’ I heard ‘I’m sorry’ on the other end. Adrenaline began, my face got hot. Then the tears started to roll.’: Boy with down syndrome diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
“Oliver was on vacation with his dad when I got the call. ‘He stopped walking.’ Weeks pass. His lymph nodes are swollen. Something just wasn’t right. I remember telling my boss, ‘I have to leave!’ Before I could even get a response, I was gone. I’m worried the ER doctor missed something. The doctor is quiet. I can see in her eyes she is trying to stay calm for me, but something is there. I scream. Deep down, she knows something I don’t.”
‘There is a 90% chance your baby will be born with Down Syndrome.’: Couple prepares for rare Down syndrome Diagnosis, ‘we knew a diagnosis didn’t change our love for this little life inside of me.’
“I had no idea just a couple of days later, we would experience a loss and pain we were never prepared for. Our loss made us stronger. ’Your scans showed a high probability your baby will have Down Syndrome.’ How can I be a good mother when I hate being pregnant? I just didn’t want to be pregnant anymore.”
‘My baby was at ‘high risk’ of having Down syndrome. I mourned the baby I thought I was going to have, what she would look like, if I would be able to look after her.’: Couple ‘mentally prepares’ after Down syndrome diagnosis
“The sonographer saw a tiny little egg. It turned out that tiny egg was the one that was going to make me a mum. The very next day, I had a phone call, telling me my baby was at ‘high risk’ of having Down syndrome. Until she was born, it was easier to pretend everything was normal, so we did just that.”
‘Maryanne, will you marry me?’ I stood there, in awe of their love. Hate is just not in their DNA.’: Married couple now ‘longest living’ pair with Down Syndrome, ‘it’s nothing short of a fairy tale’
“Fate brought them together. They live in this bubble where they only have eyes for each other. They cannot bear to be apart. People doubted them, said it was ‘disgusting’ they were allowed to get married. 29 years later, disability or not, anything is possible with love. I think most of us could learn a thing or two from them.”
‘No one else wanted her because of her disability. I’ll never forget my husband’s words when he saw her: ‘Let’s bring her home.’: Couple become first Indian family to voluntarily adopt baby with Down syndrome
“We were told we were taking too much of a risk. We were advised against it because she ‘wouldn’t be able to give back to us in any way or support us once we were old.’ I couldn’t understand why that mattered to them more than giving a child a home. All I could see was this amazingly strong and gorgeous little girl.”
‘I was told it was the ‘Cadillac of disabilities.’ His pediatrician even said, ‘Out of all the heartbreaking disabilities, his is also heartwarming.’ Down syndrome isn’t easy. We ARE special.’
“I’m here to call us out on all of our mild-mannered modesty. I’ve realized we ARE special, and we deserve that title. No, not everyone can do it. You are different. Your child is different. I am tired of wearing the martyr mask with an ‘aw shucks’ and a ‘not little ol me.’”
‘We were literally one in a million. Identical twins with Down syndrome happens once out of every million pregnancies! We had been chosen for this task.’
“The ultrasound technician laughed. ‘What is it?,’ we said. She looked at us. ‘There are two in there!’ I immediately cracked up laughing. Rayni looked like she had seen a ghost! ‘Are you serious?’”
‘Either pregnancy is harder with age or we’re having twins.’ ‘Actually, there’s 3.’ Um, excuse me!: Mom delivers baby with Down Syndrome, gets surprise triplet pregnancy right after
“Our son with Down syndrome had just battled multiple heart failures and a stroke. Us: ‘Let’s have another kid.’ Universe: ‘Hold my beer.’ Our life was like a TV show playing out in real time.”
