“Shock took my breath away and the words right out of my mouth. I believed I had only months left until life as we knew it would be tragically veered off course, to a new life of health issues and missed opportunities. I ruined my life.”
‘I ruined my life and my family’s life. I messed with our perfect life. I took a risk, and I lost.’: Mom accepts Down Syndrome diagnosis, ‘I’m so glad I had her’
‘A woman on the bus kept pointing at Meriton and touching me on the back. ‘Is he sick?’ She was loud and kept repeating herself.’: Woman urges ‘there is no cure for human being’
“The whole time I was trying to show Meriton we are equal, something was missing. I got a tattoo of a chromosome and said, ‘This will make us equally different, forever.’ The only sickness in life is the bad attitude towards people with special needs, and I’m not going to stop working to show society different.”
‘My heart dropped. WHAT? ‘You have to tell me now!’ I will never look at this photo and not remember.’ Mom receives fetal Down syndrome diagnosis,’I’m so blessed to be on this ‘wheel of life’
“Ten minutes after taking this picture, we’d receive the most memorable phone call of our lives. ‘Have you thought about what you’re going to do?’ Trisomy 21. He was cold and very matter-of-fact.”
‘Is he ok?’ I was afraid to say the words. I never told a soul about my feelings, not even my husband.’: Mom births son with Down syndrome, ‘I am so thankful for his perfect 47 chromosomes’
“I always imagined this big strong guy like my husband – a star football player and maybe a military pilot. But after Gabe’s diagnosis, suddenly those dreams came crashing down. I worried if Gabe would ever drive, get married, or just end up living with us forever.”
‘I was unexpectedly pregnant at 40. ‘I’ll never have fun again. I’ll be caring for a child with so many medical needs.’: Mom births baby with Down Syndrome, ‘She is our adventure, not a burden’
“Something magical happened. I loaded her on my back. I couldn’t see her face, but I could just feel she was happy. I would show her the world, and I wouldn’t let her diagnosis stop her from seeing the amazing beauty it has to offer.”
‘Wait, you’re not kidding? 30 seconds ago, our life was perfect.’ I suddenly needed him in my arms. ‘This is not your fault. You are just a baby.’: Couple shocked by son’s Down syndrome diagnosis, ‘You’re not the baby I thought you were, but you’re still MY baby.’
“We were on cloud nine: our baby was here, he seemed to be in perfect health. I remember hugging him, saying, ‘Welcome to our family! I’m so happy to finally meet you!’ I commented on his nose and ears, but again, no red flags. Babies fresh from the womb all look like aliens anyway. His face suddenly looked completely different. I remember thinking, ‘This is not your fault.’ From the first moment I met him, he’s been whispering to me, ‘It’s okay, Mom. There’s nothing to be afraid of.'”
‘Tell me if it’s a boy or girl! Why does a doctor have to call me?’ This news changed our entire life.’: Mom is pressured to terminate Down syndrome baby, realizes she made the right choice and feels ‘guilt for fearing him’
“‘So, just because he has Down syndrome, you offer termination?’ She became quiet. ‘I will have to talk to the doctor and have her call you.’ Ummm..say what?”
‘The cancer unit? How’d this go from ‘Hawaii 5-0’ to ‘Fighting-4-Life’ in 24 hours? This can’t be right.’: Dad insists he’ll be ‘taking my family to the top, whatever it takes’ despite infant daughter’s Down syndrome diagnosis, then cancer battle
“‘I will not be leaving her side,’ I responded in the clearest daddy-bear tone I had. Dad’s on guard. It was the look in the new doctor’s eyes that told me, I needed to go. I kissed my perfect baby girl goodbye. I’m the bug being drawn into the glowing light of the bug-zapper. Like a true ‘lamb-to-the-slaughter’ walk.”
‘The baby is going to suffer. We can take care of this right now.’ They told me to abort him.’: Mom says she came to ‘peace’ with her son’s Down Syndrome diagnosis, he became a ‘warrior’
“’I don’t know what’s wrong, but please fix him!’ She was treating my son like a mole that could simply be removed and thrown in the trash. I knew I had to protect him. Handing him over to the surgeons knowing I may never see my baby boy again was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. We are better people because of Eli.”
‘She was the most beautiful baby. But I felt helpless. My wife in the NICU crying, my child on a stretcher crying.’: 2 moms welcome daughter with Down syndrome after miscarriages, she’s ‘the best thing has happened to us’
“My wife and I started thinking about having kids. I had it all worked out. We did our research, picked a donor, scheduled the IUI and would start our family – boy was I wrong. After 3 failed attempts and 2 miscarriages, I knew I needed to give my body a break, so my wife Lisa decided she’d give it a try. He then said the words I will never forget. ‘Do you want to terminate?’ I was floored, in shock and mad. No!”
