Real life Down Syndrome Awareness
The first thing that slams into you is the weight of the diagnosis, then, following is usually a swift kick from some of the various findings at numerous appointments for eyes, ears, heart, and lungs. It is all seriously so overwhelming in the beginning that it is easy to lose track or to even be unsure of how to organize it all.
We have had the privilege of sharing over 100 stories of moms receiving a Down Syndrome diagnosis either prenatally or at birth. However, it is the dads that sometimes really need to be heard from. The silent partners that sometimes don’t share their perspectives as they remain strong and silent. Other dads need to hear it too though. Here is one dad willing to share…
It’s a beautiful day…
It was a beautiful day. Sun was shining, temperature was nice, we were full of energy. Ready for the prenatal screening, a normal check after 20 weeks of pregnancy. As usual I was offered a chair, somewhere at the feet of my wife. So far so good, we were joking, looking at the tiny human jumping around. The tiny human that came as a huge surprise. But not for a moment we were shocked – we were thankful and happy right away. Somewhere halfway the appointment I started to notice something wasn’t right. The sonographer became more and more quiet. The temperature seemed to drop. After moments of silence, she started talking again.
“There seems to be something wrong. I can’t see the connection between the ventricles in the baby’s heart. I have to send you to the hospital.” Our joy had vanished. Tears came. So far we had lived the perfect life. Happily married, blessed with amazing, healthy twin girls, another healthy and happy boy, doing jobs we love, doing things we like. I asked: ‘did you not see it, or isn’t it there at all.” After a couple of long seconds she answered: “It isn’t there. But it’s reconcilable with life.”
…don’t let it get away….
We cried for minutes, outside, hugging and hope returned fast. We had to pick up our kids, who – as always – were loaded with joy. The next day we went to the hospital, where the specialists looked at our baby. A new world opened for us, being at a children’s hospital. After the ultrasound we had to wait for a team of specialists to tell the results. They were clear. Our baby had a huge hole in his heart. But: it looked good, and it is something which can be fixed with great chance of healing. So far so good. Then the cardiologist was quiet for some moments and she said “well, there is something else with these heart defects. There is a 50% chance your baby has Down syndrome too, as this heart defect is one of its markers.”
I faded out, my mind turned into fog until the cardiologist, somewhat uncomfortable, put her hand on my shoulder for a second.
The next day we decided to go for clarity and requested an amniocentesis to find out if it was true.
…sky falls.
We had a tough week ahead. To be honest: I didn’t know anything about down syndrome. Well, I knew about the cute people on television. They seemed cute, but also people that you could really connect with, somehow. Either way, for us they were people far far away, you saw them once in a while somewhere. But never ever could I picture one of those people being my son – yes, we found out it was a boy. The next week we got a phone call. Our fear had become real: the boy had trisomy 21. This time it felt like we literally collapsed because of the worst earthquake ever. We felt as if our lives had ended. Unless, of course, we decided to end the pregnancy.
“Grace finds beauty – in everything”
It crossed my mind a couple of times. It would not be fair to our other kids to have a little brother who would suck up all attention. It would be the end of our marriage – this weight was something we could not carry. And a little boy with a huge heart defect and Down syndrome wouldn’t really have a happy life, right? But these thoughts didn’t last long. In fact, we had such an amazing time together, and with friends and family. Intimate talks, opening up our hearts, sharing our doubts and vulnerabilities. It was a time of many tears, laughter, and growth. And slowly but surely, love won. Love for each other, for our girls and boy, and of course our baby boy. Happiness returned. And yes, frequently happiness got covered by clouds and fears.
“This is not a burden. It is an adventure!”
And then the new year started, with a huge bang. All of a sudden Victor Judah was born, three weeks early. Our warrior. A very smooth birth. A little baby, crying loud, healthy color, huge testicles, 10 fingers, 10 toes. A perfect baby. After three days we got to go home. Our adventure had started. And boy- did we learn a lot. We had to work hard, just like with the other kids. Victor seemed to be the pee master, peeing almost every time when we opened his diaper. Victor amazed us, amazed the doctors, amazed everyone who visited him. This boy has something special. He is pure, and pure joy. Most things I thought to know about people with down syndrome were just wrong. Victor is in most ways just like anyone else. But look him in the eyes and you meet an angel. It is like heaven opens up. It is like he is saying: “just be yourself, and love me with all you have. I am worth it – and I love you anyway.” Victor has learned me to love unconditionally. Raising kids is more about helping them find happiness, and less about what I think what makes them happy. So Victor became quite the teacher for me. We learned to slow down, live by the day, and enjoy the little gifts we are given daily.
Of course there are some tough battles to fight with Victor. Like when Victor caught a virus, only a few weeks before the open heart surgery. It was too much for him – and he had to stay at the ICU for weeks. We saw lots of nurses and doctors. I could write pages about them – some really loving and caring, and some less understanding. But our experience at the Intensive Care was somehow beautiful. Walking side by side with parents standing next to their kids who fight for their health creates unexpected bonds. It makes you look different. And to bring your child for a 6 hour surgery, knowing they will cut his chest open, and stop his heart from beating is hard, the hardest thing I ever did. But great is the Victory when you get the call: surgery is done, it was successful. Even greater is the Victory when your boy opens his eyes. Smiles at you. Gets to go home with you. Enjoys vacation. And grows, learns, laughs louder and louder. It heals us probably even more than him.
“T21 babies looking for dads willing to fight for them, for the right to exist”
There was a time I thought that I had to be an advocate for Victor, for the weaker human. Now I see Victor is his own advocate. But I need to be his dad. A dad that fights for him. That battles the stigma. That opens eyes, hearts and 
doors so other people stop discriminating and see the human Victor. The boy with special gifts, who happens to may have a few special needs. I know most fetuses with down syndrome are not born. It is our mission to fight the elimination of gifted people with T21. I hope to inspire dads-to-be (and moms) not to fear if they get the diagnosis down syndrome. That the voices full of stigma and false information get drowned out by voices of loving parents and their amazing kids. I hope to find lots of dads fighting by my side for the future of special kids. Making way for stories of unconditional love, of faith and victory. Opening the eyes and hearts of people at governments, and hospitals. Showing them it is not ok to erase people just by misjudgment, and be silent about it. I won’t accept that I am part of a generation that willingly choose to erase a whole group of special people. Let’s show all the couples receiving this diagnosis: life will not end! It might change, but let’s show them that with great battles come even greater victories. It will change your heart, your relationships, your way of living – in a beautiful way.
“You may say I am a dreamer”
Living with Victor makes us dream. About his bright future, with many victories. And about our future as a family. We started dreaming about having a huge house, with lots of space, surrounded by land. A place where we can create space for people who are tired of all the stress and the performance related pressure. Maybe hunted by questions, maybe the victim of stigma’s themselves. In that place we want to share the wisdom from Victor. Where through Victor’s lessons people can find rest, and learn to love unconditionally. Call me a dreamer (to afford such a place we need to win at least the lottery), but until that day we will share the lessons, the hard lessons, the lessons of love and exceeding joy with the world. We see Victor touches lives, opens hearts. Let him be an example.
Victor was fearfully and wonderfully made. And yes, our road has more bumps. But with the bumps comes way better views – and for that we are deeply thankful.
A Father’s Perspective on Down Syndrome
Down Syndrome Diagnosis- One Dad’s thoughts
Hi! My name is JaapJan Boer, born in 1981. I am married to the best wife ever, Hendrine. Together we are blessed with twingirls Norah & Feline (2011), adventurer Toby (2013), and ‘the special one” Victor (2017). I work at a foundation that aims to end stigma, mainly of people with mental health issues. My goal is to end stigma at schools. I love playing futsal, nature, hanging out with people I love. I am constantly looking for beauty – in everything. You can follow along on Instagram @boermeister
This is something you hear from so many parents who have children with Down syndrome. I, like most of the rest, cried A LOT of tears when I first learned about my daughter’s Down syndrome diagnosis. I think it’s important for people to know how devastated I felt so if they face the same situation or know someone who does they can educate themselves before making a decision in that time of mourning. I want people to know that as happy and amazing as my life is now with my perfect daughter, I mourned and grieved just like most do.
Here is my story…
It was on April 5th 2016 that I got the phone call that changed our lives forever. First let me go back a step or two before that day. When we first graduated from our IVF doctor and went to a regular baby doctor we made it very clear we only wanted testing for things we can medically fix. We signed paperwork saying we didn’t want any blood tests and minimal ultrasounds. We really only wanted to do the 20 week anatomy scan.
Things didn’t go as planned.
My doctor ordered blood work and I wasn’t aware the blood work was testing for Down syndrome. About a week later I got a surprise phone call from the nurse practitioner informing me that my blood test came back showing an elevated risk for DS, a 1 in 47 chance to be exact.
Looking back that 47 was another great big sign.
I really didn’t worry too much about these results especially after researching how they come up with these numbers. As far as I was concerned our baby was not that 1, she or he was the other 46. Just to put our minds fully at ease so we could enjoy the rest of the pregnancy we decided to do the next blood test that would tell us a yes or no with 98% accuracy. I called the doctor to set an appointment and didn’t tell Chris because I didn’t want him to worry while we were waiting. I was prepared simply to tell him the good news once it was received.
Chris was leaving on a trip to see some of the master’s golf tournament with my parents and my brother on Tuesday April 5th and he would return on Thursday April 7th, the day before the results were supposed to arrive. Again, that’s not how it went.
On Tuesday April 5th after letting my 1st graders out for the day I listened to my voicemail. I got a call from the nurse practitioner asking me to call her back. When I called her back she informed me that the results came in and the baby did indeed have Down syndrome. WHAT? I was in disbelief. I didn’t cry, I was in too much shock. I remember asking how accurate these results were and hearing her say I’m so sorry over and over and asking if I wanted to do an amino. I said, my husband is on a trip now and we will decide about the amino later but we are keeping the baby. She said ok, I’m so sorry and we hung up. I was speechless. Most of my support system was gone, what do I do now?? I texted my younger sister Lindsay, she was the only family member around at the time.
” Having a major panic attack as the nurse practitioner just called with the results of my second blood test with positive results for Down syndrome. It’s 98 percent accurate. Chris and mom are in Georgia…. don’t know what to tell them.”
“Come over
Or I’m coming over
Which one?”
“I’m on my way home now.
I’ll be home in 20”
“Okay I’ll be there.”
My sister and her then 17-month-old son were at my house when I got home. I didn’t cry on the way home that day but my sister, the crier of the family, had been.
We didn’t talk a whole lot that day. We mostly spent time researching the test and seeing if it indeed was as accurate as it claimed to be. I knew the second I heard the news that it was true but researching kept me busy. We found out it was very accurate. We also called the nurse practitioner several times to ask different questions. When my sister left that night (she offered to stay the night) and I was home alone, the news began to sink in and my mind was racing.
While I was terrified about what this meant for my life, I was most concerned at that time about how and when I would tell my husband. I wanted to wait until he got home but my sister felt I needed his support and should tell him immediately. The thoughts going through my head were that I just wanted everyone to enjoy a few more happy days before I told them this life changing and devastating news.
That night I got very little sleep and cried off and on for hours. It felt crushing. I found myself asking why God would do this to us when we’ve already been through so much to have a baby. In the middle of the night I wrote a message to one of the admins for the infertility Facebook group I was a part of asking for advice on when to tell my husband. Most people felt that I should wait until he got home. They confirmed what I felt was the right thing to do. I liked that but it gave me days to worry, Google, and grieve without my husband.
The next morning I got up and went to work. Many people have asked me later how and why I went to work that week and my response was, I had to. My first graders kept me sane for a few days. I cried the entire way to and from work each day that week and I ate lunch alone. I really just tried my best to avoid all adults. I was worried if I saw people they would ask me about the pregnancy and I would fall apart or not be able to hide my pain. The only day I had to see people was Wednesday at the Staff meeting. Thank God I only had to listen that day and I didn’t have to interact or talk much.
My being very sick during pregnancy came in handy because no one noticed my change in behavior and people said later they just thought I wasn’t feeling well. Each day after work I would hangout with my sister and her baby (she was off work that week, another random miracle). While we were together we no longer researched the test results but we were researching Down syndrome and worrying so much. I also called my mother-in-law and had her come over so I could tell her the news. I asked her if she could break the news to my father-in-law and brother-in-law. I remember her being very positive. I am sure she was full of emotions but she didn’t let that show and she was as supportive as anyone could be. I told her the results were 98% positive and she told me she believed our baby was the 2% because she believed in miracles.
I remember thinking but not saying, “I believe our baby is a miracle as well, but in my heart I knew the baby is the 98% and did have Down syndrome.”
She stayed for a bit and helped talk me through how to tell Chris and I shared how nervous I was and how crushed I thought he would be. After just 2 days I already felt so fiercely protective of this baby no matter what he or she was like.
While waiting for Chris to come home these were the crazy thoughts running through my head.
Even though I’d always wanted a daughter the thought of one with DS terrified me…. I found myself praying the baby was a boy because in my mind teenage boys are more accepting and I want him/her to have friends, I was so worried about things like a girl with DS getting her period but I think I was most worried about my relationship with a daughter with DS. I always dreamed my daughter and I would have an amazing relationship, one like I have with my mom, but I thought if she had DS those dreams would die too.
How will we support a child the rest of our lives?
Who would take him if something happened to us?
Will Chris and I be able to make it through this?
Will Chris blame me? Will he blame himself?
What will we do with a child living with us forever?
We are going to stand out! I don’t want to stand out!
We have to have more kids so this child has friends.
Will other kids avoid us because they are afraid of someone different? It was as if everything I dreamed about and imagined with the baby growing inside me went away with the news.
I just didn’t want this news to be true.
Thursday finally arrived and that night I went to pick up Chris and my parents at the airport. When they got in the car I asked about the trip and listened as they told stories. Once I dropped my parents off I drove Chris and I the 5 minutes home to our house while he told more stories of the great trip they had. I wanted to tell Chris alone and not in the car and that’s why I waited until we got home.
Basically as soon as we walked through the door I said, “ I have to tell you something…the baby does have Down syndrome, I’m so sorry,” and I bust into tears. I couldn’t even look at Chris and he really didn’t say much of anything pretty much the whole night. He was just soaking it in.
I gave everyone the grace to have his or her own first reaction and I knew everyone just finding out needed time to process. The next day I had to deliver the news one final time, this time to my parents. I went over on Saturday morning when I knew both my mom and dad would be home. I walked through the door and my mom asked what I was doing there?!? I told her I needed to tell them something. I sat down and just blurted it out and again burst into tears. My mom said, “I’m so sorry “ followed by “ we can do this” my dad had a look I have only seen once before, at his brothers funeral.
My dad looked devastated and his whole body started shaking as he tried to comfort me and tell me it was going to be ok. He then quickly left to go for a run, its what he does when he is stressed. I stayed and talked with my mom for a while and I told my mom I was done delivering the news and I asked her to tell my older sister and my brother so I didn’t have to. After the family all knew it was time to grieve together, learn together and heal together.
Exactly a week after I learned of the diagnosis we met with the genetic counselor. She was so nice and the right person at the right time for us. By the time we left that appointment I felt so much better and realized this diagnosis changes nothing. All my hopes and dreams about my child could still be. We originally wanted to wait until birth to find out the gender but we knew that the genetic counselor was the person who should have that honor. She happily delivered the news that we were having a baby girl! I lost it one more time when I heard it was a girl but the words the counselor said sent me on a better path. I can say about a week after that appointment, I was fully accepting and excited to not only have a daughter but to have one with DS. I realized that my relationship with her can not only be as good as the relationship I have with my mom it may even be better.
Those two weeks were some of the roughest of my life, all based on fear. After learning and hearing from other families it didn’t take long to realize all of our fears were unfounded. We truly are the lucky few! A few weeks before Emmy was born, after all we had learned about DS my mom said to me something I had been thinking as well. She said, “I think I am going to be very disappointed if she doesn’t have Down syndrome.” Now that she’s here we know the truth. Although Down syndrome may present some challenges it is the most beautiful journey and we are so happy we get to parent a child this amazing!
We received a prenatal diagnosis at 23 weeks pregnant for our Luke it all began when we had been referred to a specialist after our routine 20-week scan showed a slight effusion on Luke’s heart. The specialist told us that he wasn’t concerned about the effusion because it usually self repairs during the pregnancy, but what he was most concerned about was the underdeveloped nasal bone. He reiterated that this coupled with the effusion meant that these were two markers for Down Syndrome, and that he recommended an amniocentesis straight away. We found out a week later the confirmation of a Down Syndrome diagnosis when the specialist called us to tell us the news.
I will never forget seeing my husband’s face as he answered the phone and received the news that would change the path of our lives forever. We both felt as if we had been sucker punched, I don’t remember crying, the tears came later, but I remember being in an intense amount of shock and disbelief.
I was so angry. I was angry that my plans had been messed with. I was angry at anything and everything. And I think more than anything I was petrified. I had no clue what to expect, and that made me even angrier.
I had never met anyone with DS before Luke was born and as I result I was pretty clueless and uneducated. I learned a lot, and very quickly. I read and I read and I read some more. As a result of not really knowing much about Down Syndrome I didn’t have any major initial fears as I was more shell-shocked, however, after doing research I started to worry, mostly about health implications. Jon and I were both petrified that our son would have to have major surgery once being born.
Once we had decided to continue with the pregnancy, we had both decided that we had nothing to hide. Right from the very start I have been very open with anyone who is willing to listen. I knew that both of our families and friends would embrace, support and love our son and so I really did not worry at all about telling people. Our friends and family have blown us away with their positivity, acceptance, and support. There was never a single question with regards to questioning our decisions.
As it was a rushed emergency C – section we both didn’t have much time to think. Luke emerged blue and struggling to breathe, Jon my husband, was more concerned than anything as Luke was rushed through to the NICU.
We were incredibly lucky in that Luke did not need any major surgeries after birth. He was in the NICU for a few days to monitor his oxygen absorption rate, but apart from that he was absolutely healthy.
Our biggest obstacle to accepting Luke’s diagnosis was our own pride – letting go of expectations, accepting our new reality and coming to terms with this new adventure.
We currently live in the East Coast of South Africa, we live in a town just outside of Durban called Ballito.
The thing about South Africa is that it is a very complex country with a very rich and diverse culture and heritage. It is, in essence, a first world country mixed with a third world country. There is a very distinct disparity between the haves and the have not’s which is exacerbated by a very poor national health system. An example is that we have 11 official languages in South Africa – it is very, very diverse.
We are incredibly fortunate in that we are able to afford private health care and thus are afforded state of the art first world health care. The very sad thing is that ¾’s of the people in our country are not in a position for this.
With western values and outlooks, we have never come across Luke being ostracized or treated terribly. I cannot, however, speak of children born with Down Syndrome in other cultures within South Africa.
We have only had positive experiences with Luke and other people. We are well aware that at this stage he is still a cute baby and that things may change in the future, but with more and more awareness being spread we are hoping that stigmas will be dispelled and inclusion will be encouraged.
Luke is now 13 months old and he has changed our lives in more ways than we could ever have imagined. He has 
caused us to slow down, to appreciate the small things and to be grateful for the decision that we chose. We are forever grateful that he chose us to be his parents and we are so excited for the future. Luke’s diagnosis has affected our relationship as a couple in that It strengthened it more than we could have ever imagined. It brought us closer together and has made us feel that we can conquer anything together.
What made me able to move forward and not only accept Luke’s diagnosis but embrace it was meeting my son. It’s very hard to imagine and accept if you haven’t actually seen the perfection that is your child. It was very hard for me not to embrace Luke after staring into his beautiful blue eyes and realizing that he was all mine.
Jessica is a full-time working, mother of 13month old Luke Michael and wife to Jonathan. Jessica says her way of relaxing is to exercise. In 2015 she and her husband and I completed the Comrades Ultra Marathon together (And didn’t kill each other in the process!) Jessica describes herself as animal crazy, being brought up in a home with a father as a veterinary surgeon has meant that she had little choice. She is also utterly done deaf and feels sorry for poor look when he is subjected to her renditions of nursery rhymes. Check out Jessica’s blog at Learning from Luke and you can find her on instagram @learningfromluke.
According to the statistics, 1 in approximately 700 pregnancies is affected by an extra 21st chromosome, this results in a child having what is more commonly known as Down Syndrome. It is rare, and even rarer still for a family to have not one, but two birth children who both have an extra chromosome. Contrary to popular opinion on the matter, Down Syndrome, standard Trisomy 21 is not hereditary. There is one form of Down syndrome that can be (translocation) but it occurs in less than 2% of all Down Syndrome diagnoses and it was not the case for Teresa and her beautiful boys. Teresa had two pregnancies and two Down syndrome Diagnoses. She hit the lottery, twice.
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With James’s diagnosis, he had some markers on his 20 week anatomy scan: a bright spot on his intestines and his nuchal fold was thicker. I don’t remember the actual number. This was on a Friday, and my OBGYN referred us to the local hospital for a more detailed level 2 ultrasound. The hospital called later that day to schedule us for Tuesday. In the meantime, we had done some research to see what these markers could mean. I found that there was a blood test, a non-invasive prenatal screen, that was pretty accurate and didn’t pose a miscarriage risk to the baby. I had already decided I didn’t want an amniocentesis, so we decided to ask if this test was available. The waiting for the results was the worst part.
With Ben’s diagnosis, we got the test again but really only to find out the gender sooner. Since I was “high risk” the NIPS would be covered. We really weren’t even worried about Down syndrome or anything.
I had the genetic counselor call my husband. Since I wasn’t sure where I would be when they called, I didn’t want to be at work and get upset. So the GC told my husband the results were positive and asked if we had any questions. We said no, since we had already been doing research while we were waiting for the test results.
With Ben, my OBGYN’s PA had called. She presented the news very neutrally, not especially grave or not especially excited. Pretty straight forward. She said they liked to send us back to the hospital to discuss further testing, but I said “I already have a son with Down syndrome, and I already know I don’t want an amnio. I honestly don’t think they can tell me anything I don’t already know. Is it okay if I just skip it?”
She said, “Oh, sure! We’ll see you and your next appointment.”
My initial reaction hearIng James’s diagnosis was bursting into tears, and getting a nosebleed! I felt really guilty and sad and like the worst thing that could have happened had happened. Which, looking back, is so foreign to me now. It was our fifth wedding anniversary and we were planning to go out to dinner. I didn’t feel like going out after getting the test results, but my husband insisted that we go, because we didn’t want to look back on that night and regret not going. I’m really glad we went.
With Ben, I was shocked for about, oh, a half hour, maybe an hour. Not out of fear, but astonishment because seriously, what were the odds? We had known a lot of Ds families that went on to have other kids without Ds, so it really wasn’t on our radar. But I didn’t cry, I didn’t feel guilty.
My first fear was, what if I don’t bond with my son because he won’t look like me? Looking back, it was such a silly fear, even though I know it’s a common one. It just showed how little I knew and the misconceptions out there. I thought our life from then on was going to be full of nothing but doctors’ appointments and my son being “sick.” I thought I’d wake up every morning with this cloud over my head, and my first thought every morning would be “my son has Down syndrome.” And for the first few weeks of my pregnancy, it was like that. But now, my first thought is, how do I have a kid who wakes up so happy in the morning? He certainly didn’t get that from me or my husband!
Personally, I’m glad I knew beforehand. This was my first child, and when he was born, he needed oxygen and was jaundiced and had a tongue tie. None of these things turned out to be serious, but I think if I heard heard these things and then “Oh, and we think he might have Down syndrome,” I would have lost it. As it was, I felt I was as prepared as I could have been when James was born. That was the only reason I wanted to know- to prepare myself as much as possible. It was never a question of whether or not he was wanted.
If we didn’t have the prenatal diagnosis with Ben and we got a birth diagnosis, I think I would have been fine. Surprised, yes, but overall fine.
We didn’t know anyone before James’s diagnosis who had Ds.
I was afraid of what others’ reactions would be. My husband and I had waited a little while to tell extended family, because we wanted to know more and be more okay with the diagnosis before we shared it with others.
With Ben, I needed an emergency c-section because his heart rate and oxygen levels dropped when I pushed. It was scary for me, but once he was out, he was fine.
My husband was very “Look, we can do this” after the initial reaction. With the second diagnosis, he just said, “Well, here we go again!”
It’s hard to say how having a child with Ds affected our relationship compared to a typical child, because this was our first pregnancy, but I think it helped us develop a very “we’re a team” approach to things.
It wasn’t really until Ben was born that I stopped “seeing” Down syndrome. I mean, after a short while, it wasn’t the
first thing I thought when I saw James. It was there, but it was just a part of the other things about him. Now, I really don’t see it at all. I often forget that Ben has it.
Friends and family were supportive, and really, I didn’t know what to expect at all. My husband had the idea of writing a letter to announce the diagnosis, which we sent to all our close extended relatives. We wanted to let everyone know we were ok with it, and that it was ok to ask us questions. Everyone responded very positively to that.
In some ways, I’m more assertive when it comes to standing up for my kids. I think I’m more patient and I try to understand where people are coming from more.
James is three years old and Ben is four months.
Teresa lives with her husband, Ryan, two sons and three cats. Both of her sons have Down syndrome. She’s on her local Down syndrome association board, and wants to reach out to new and expectant moms.
