This month is Pregnancy and Infant Loss and also Down syndrome Awareness month. Both are so dear to our hearts. They are what we pray for, fight for, and vote on. For us, we have had two miscarriages. One was further along where we delivered at home and already even at the end of the first trimester we could see where the tiny eyes were starting to grow and the body forming. Already a life!
Because of our new little guy and all the joy he brings us, we have learned so much about him and others born with DS. We did not know before that he would be born with it, and even if we had it would not have changed us having him. In fact, most of our friends that knew beforehand, they were asked and even encouraged to not go though with the births. In fact, a pediatric doctor we know said in the the last ten years he has not had one patient with Down Syndrome as a patient. Yet, before ten years ago he always had several. You can figure out why, they abort them.
They say about 67% of babies with DS who receive a pre-natal diagnosis in the US are aborted. Even more heartbreaking if it can be is that Iceland is 100% of babies aborted with DS. Denmark is 98%, the UK is 90%, and France is 78%.
I found a group here in Barbados of Down Syndrome families. Suprisingly there are lots of kids here with DS, but they don't abort here either. They don't have any events here, and since we cant have attend the DS walk in KC this year since we are here, we decided as a family to put one on here. We made fliers, kids wanted to pass out balloons, share signs on the walks of spreading kindness and celebrating life, and sharing cupcakes with others. Then, we were told as foreigners that wouldn't be okay to do since it wasn't their idea. Honestly, we were pretty disappointed as any way for us to share in celebration with others over how amazing kids are makes us excited, but we agreed to not celebrate in public. So, we are walking as a family privately next week. And maybe next year they will want to take on the idea as they own.
We will always celebrate life! Thank you, God!
