I’m glad a media outlet as mainstream as Good Housekeeping is shining light on the realities of Down syndrome.
Where Have All the Kids With Down syndrome Gone?
With the rise of prenatal testing, it’s frightening that - perhaps - due to lack of knowledge and outdated statistics, people with Down syndrome could theoretically become “extinct.” Absolutely NO medical professional should utter the words, “Best-case scenario: Your son will mop the floors at a fast food restaurant one day. Worst-case scenario: He will never feed himself.”
Unbelievable. Information provided to expectant Mothers needs to be up-to-date, accurate, and unbiased. Thankfully there are resources such as The Down syndrome Diagnosis Network that are attempting to educate medical professionals and their staff.
While I think Emily Zilcha in this article was poorly informed and made assumptions based on her own misconceived ideas of Down syndrome, her decision was hers. I wonder if she’d been more educated, would she have made a different decision? Maybe not.
The last woman, Hallie Levine, probably seems the most realistic/relatable to me; “Deep down, I was probably a narcissistic, self-absorbed person who just didn’t want a kid who was less than perfect.”
No, Down syndrome is not all rainbows and unicorns. But neither is raising a typical child. We have our challenges, but at the end of the day, we live a great life and Hannah’s quality of life feels pretty great. The resources and interventions available now are truly helping Hannah achieve more.
Raising a daughter with Ds has, and will continue, to alter my perspective of what really matters in life.
No comments:
Post a Comment