31 for 21

OK, I missed yesterday blogging 'cause I just found out that this is the month for the blog. 31 days of blogging to raise awarness of Trisomy 21 Down Syndrome.

I guess I just write what I want.....to start Down Syndrome has been a part of my life for 30 years!! Yes and Spencer is only 7. My brother, Steve, has a daughter who was born January 2, 1979 with Down Syndrome. I was 19 at that time and in college. I remember seeing her for the 1st time and thinking she looks alot like I did when I was a baby, chubby with a round head. I remember her ears being sunk in her head because of swelling, but not realizing it at the time. It was a small town hopital in WV. They had a young lady peditrician that came around and told my sister in law, Doris, that they were sending Tracy to Charleston WV to have some tests run. No one really ever said anything else. Years later after Spencer was born, Doris told me about the night they arrived at the hospital in Charleston and a nurse from the NICU told her that Tracy was a Mongoloid. She said is was if someone had taken a hot poker and stuck it in her stomach and began turning it back and forth! What a terrible thing to say, but of course times have changed, well at least we like to think they have! I remember her bringing Tracy to Beckley WV for therapies with an Early Interventionist and me going with her....I was amazed at how flexible Tracy was in her joints and how she could spread her legs and do a "chinese split". I never once realized that this was bad for her hip joints. I remember her going to school at a special school and loving it, her friends and teachers. I remember her older brother and older sister getting into physical fights with other kids. They made fun of Tracy alot and Jason and Tammie were very protective! I remember going places with Tracy and getting odd looks from others and getting very defensive, just like I do now with Spencer. Why can't people just look and give you a nice smile, one that lets you know they are seeing something different, but no, there are always those that look like you've falling out of sky from somewhere!!

I can see how things have changed from the time Steve and Doris had Tracy to now with Spencer. People have become more aware, but we have so far to go with awareness! My goal with awareness is for all people to accept people with Down Syndrome for who they are, not what they look like and what they can or can't do. Tracy and Spencer both are special people who love life and enjoy laughing, which is something we all should do more of!!!