Down syndrome

Happy 3-21 (World Down Syndrome) Day!

March 21, 2013

It’s March 21, which means it’s World Down Syndrome Day! Three copies of chromosome 21 – 3/21, get it? Anywho…I should probably write a super-awesome post about how wonderful people with T21 are, what a shame it is that so many people in the world are blind to their awesomeness, and all that jazz. But [...]

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He Doesn’t Fit the Textbook

March 19, 2013

Overall, Nathan has been a healthy kid. Unlike many kids with Down syndrome, he has never had any heart problems, GI issues, a wacky thyroid, problems with his hearing or vision, or recurring respiratory infections. In fact, although I haven’t officially tracked it, I’m pretty confident that I – the marathon runner – have been [...]

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Nathan’s Birth Story: Part 3

March 14, 2013

Sarah Kate’s birth story, published in honor of her 10th birthday in December, was among the most popular of my recent posts. As I said then, it seems a bit narcissistic to publish my children’s birth stories, but Sarah Kate’s was obviously interesting to many of you, who expressed interest in hearing Nathan’s, as well. [...]

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Nathan’s Birth Story: Part 2

March 12, 2013

Sarah Kate’s birth story, published in honor of her 10th birthday in December, was among the most popular of my recent posts. As I said then, it seems a bit narcissistic to publish my children’s birth stories, but Sarah Kate’s was obviously interesting to many of you, who expressed interest in hearing Nathan’s, as well. [...]

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Nathan’s Birth Story: Part 1

March 7, 2013

Sarah Kate’s birth story, published in honor of her 10th birthday in December, was among the most popular of my recent posts. As I said then, it seems a bit narcissistic to publish my children’s birth stories, but Sarah Kate’s was obviously interesting to many of you, who expressed interest in hearing Nathan’s, as well. [...]

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The Dreaded Preschool IEP

March 5, 2013

I’ve known it was coming for awhile now.The dreaded IEP meeting. If you aren’t familiar with the abbreviation that strikes fear in the hearts of moms like me everywhere, it stands for Individualized Education Program. It’s the game plan for educating a child who doesn’t fit the norm. Nathan will age out of Early Intervention [...]

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On Cures, Treatments, and Fundamental Change

January 8, 2013

Seven years ago last Friday, Mr. Andi and I let go of our baby girl as she was wheeled back to the OR for her selective dorsal rhizotomy. Today, I have no regrets about the surgery, and I still hold out (some) hope that she will be able to avoid some painful orthopedic procedures because [...]

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A Tale of Two Viral Sports Videos

December 13, 2012

In this past Sunday’s Sun-Beams, I linked to a viral video of a middle school wrestling match and asked you to tell me what you thought about it. Several variations of the story of the match had popped up in my Google Reader last week, and it was also featured on Good Morning America. In [...]

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My Long Overdue Review of “The Child King”

December 11, 2012

An embarrassingly long time ago, I was sent a copy of the independent holiday film, “The Child King” to review. It’s been such a ridiculously long time that when I was initially asked to review the film the Christmas decorations weren’t out yet in the stores. In fact, I would wager that it may have [...]

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What If Everything We’ve Been Told (and Believed) Is Wrong?

November 13, 2012

The list of “bad stuff” related to Down syndrome is long and depressing. Heart conditions, vision problems, hearing problems, increased risk of leukemia, thyroid problems, and, of course, mental retardation (or, if you prefer, cognitive delay or intellectual disability). As if the list of “bad stuff” wasn’t enough, each person with Trisomy-21 (T21) is marked [...]

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