What is something unique and special about your child with trisomy that you wish more people knew?

Something unique I found about my daughter is how she easily mingles with people and how unique her personality is becoming. She may be non-verbal but people are easily drawn to her. She’s a highly likable individual! May it be in hospital or in school, she can easily make friends. Her teacher and paraeducators are very fond of her and calls her the “trickster” of the class. One day, while they were doing circle time, she asked to have a turn using her AAC button. As her teacher approached, she quickly tapped on her “All done” button and started laughing. She did it 3 times that everyone started laughing with her. Just one of the many tricks she pulls on her peers at school.

Why do you believe raising awareness about trisomy conditions is important, and how can others make a difference?

I believe that raising awareness about Trisomy conditions is important because it gives expecting parents hope and the support they need during the time of uncertainty. Having a support group like SOFT provides Trisomy parents an outlet to share their experiences and knowledge as well as their concerns, issues, and roadblocks with one another. To me, it was a big form of encouragement that pushed me to advocate harder for my daughter’s medical needs. Reading other parents’ stories and seeing how their kids thrived because of their parents’ strength squashed my fear of speaking up and gave me the courage to demand what my child needed.

During Trisomy Awareness Month, what message would you like to share with the world about your family’s journey and the trisomy community?

After learning about our daughter’s diagnosis, my husband and I said goodbye to our thriving jobs, packed our bags, and moved our little family thousands of miles away from home carrying our little faith in God in our hearts that He will provide. 7 years later and He is still great to us. He blessed us with a hospital that provided every medical needs of our daughter, a home, a family-oriented job for my husband, and another member to our little family making my daughter a BIG sister!

This journey will never be just a walk in the park but for as long as God is with my family, I will never ever give up.