Did you know????

I'm looking at all the photos from the last couple weeks... so bear with me today!

This is Carter & Noah. Noah (and his big brother Nick) have Downs Syndrome. He is a blessing... my boys think he is their other brother. They LOVE Noah for who he is and don't really "get" that there is anything different about him. But I was talking to his mom, Julie, last week and she told me a statistic that makes me sick.

97% of women who receive a diagnosis of being pregnant with a baby that has Downs Syndrome in the US abort the baby.
100% of women with the same diagnosis in Europe abort their baby.

A diagnosis of Down Syndrome (or any disability) can not an easy thing. I do not have a child with a disability so I know that there are challenges that I can not comprehend. But... I have seen glimpses. I know that it's not easy to carry a newborn and an oxygen tank, while trying to keep up with the toddler that is connected to said oxygen tank. I know how scary it is when you hear a child wheezing or struggling for breath. I know what it is like to go into the pediatric cardiologist thinking that everything is fine, only to come out with your baby on a monitor that is as big as their little tiny chest. And.. I know that there are resources for families - organizations like the one I am proud to work for, as well as families that have gone before them and understand the struggles. There are resources for the child -- not perfect resources -- but resources that allow them to succeed and reach their potential.

I know that Noah brings GREAT joy! My heart breaks to think that people don't have a Noah and a Nick! They have taught us SO much and our world would not be nearly as wonderful without them!