Down syndrome occurs in 1 in 733 LIVE births.
Approximately 90% of women who find out prenatally that their child has this extra chromosome terminates the pregnancy.
90%! That is crazy. Sometimes I feel like I am raising an endangered kind. For lack of a way better term. I feel that with the earlier prenatal screenings this percentage is going to continue to climb. I fear that the acceptance of individuals like my son will not get better over the years but in fact get worse, since there will be less and less people like him born.
90%! So many lives are ended because they are deemed unworthy. Because doctors suggest 'taking care of the problem' rather than educating and because scared parents are worried about what society will think of something less than "perfect".
I cannot begin to count the number of people that Zach has touched. People that have personally told me how much they love my son. People I don't know come up to us at the grocery store or when we are around town and tell us they have worked with Zach at school, or that their kid rides with Zach on the bus and Zach has made such a positive impact on their life that they feel compelled to come up to Chris and I and tell us about it.
They tell us just how much they love him.
How sweet he is.
How their typically rambunctious child is calmed by Zach.
How Zach comforted their kid at school when their kid got hurt.
The list goes on.
This does not sound like a soul that should not be here with us. This is not a life that is a burden on society. This child has taught things to more people than we will ever know. Sure they might not be things that you can record on a report card. Or that will help you ace a test. But what is more important is that he has taught people what true uncensored love is. And not to judge a book by the cover that society has created.
I feel sorry for all of the people that don't have a Zachary in their life because the way he has enriched mine is unexplainable and is something I am so thankful for.
2 comments:
Oh Girl!! I feel like I could have written this myself... How wonderfully said! You are an amazing mom and you are lucky to have Zach and he is incredibly lucky he has you!
Jennifer: You are telling the exact story of our Zac as well. He is a celebrity in our community. It is especially wonderful to see him with the teenager community and how he can reach into their hearts and bring out something so loving and honest is a sight to see! Side note: I cannot tell you how many times during my pregnancy my son was offered an alternative to "life" by medical professionals even so late in term. I also read in one of my DS books (may need to be confirmed-cuz it was old) that only 20% of DS babies actually make a live birth because of miscarriage and other natural causes of termination .... which makes the ones who do make it even more special! :)
Post a Comment