YOU are NOT blessed to have a child with DS!

[Guest guest]

Now....hold on.... I was just getting your attention.

I wasn't the person who said this! I just wanted you to be aware of it...

Here is the link http://tinyurl.com/5suto2 (I made it smaller so it would

work) In case you would like to send a comment and tell the person why you feel

'blessed' for having your child with Ds......

This is what the person said in their blog...

Please stop making me roll my eyes at you I have officially added “Garden

of Eagan” to my blog checks. The author is now urging people to send back all of

the Ben Stiller movies that she owns. Except she’s not sending back the only one

that she owns, which is…wait for it…The Ringer, because it “was endorsed and

supported by the National Special Olympics organization.”

Irony. I love it.

And then today’s post is regarding a video that she and her daughter will

appear in that will be broadcast on the jumbotron in Times Square. Mad props,

that’s awesome! Except for this sentence:

These funds are NOT for and I, but for the National Down Syndrome

Society, who helps new and existing families who have members blessed with DS.

I’m sorry, but there is nothing that will ever convince me that someone is

“blessed” with a disability. Definitions of blessed:

1. consecrated; sacred; holy; sanctified: the Blessed Sacrament.

2. worthy of adoration, reverence, or worship: the Blessed Trinity. 3.

divinely or supremely favored; fortunate: to be blessed with a strong, healthy

body; blessed with an ability to find friends. 4. blissfully happy or

contented. 5. Roman Catholic Church. beatified. 6. bringing

happiness and thankfulness: the blessed assurance of a steady income. 7.

Informal. damned: I’m blessed if I know. 8. Informal. (used as an

intensifier): every blessed cent. And complications of Downs’ Syndrome:

Heart defects. Approximately half of children with Down syndrome are born

with some type of heart defect. These heart problems can be life-threatening and

may require surgery in early infancy.

Leukemia. Young children with Down syndrome are more likely to develop

leukemia than are children who don’t have Down syndrome.

Infectious diseases. Because of abnormalities in their immune systems, those

with Down syndrome are much more susceptible to infectious diseases. For

example, their risk of contracting pneumonia is much higher than that of others

without this disorder.

Dementia. Later in life, people with Down syndrome have a greatly increased

risk of dementia. Signs and symptoms of dementia often appear before age 40 in

people with Down syndrome.

Other problems. Down syndrome may also be associated with a variety of other

health conditions, including gastrointestinal blockage, thyroid problems,

hearing loss and poor vision.

I don’t think that blessed and a disability of that magnitude can be used in

the same sentence.

So why write it in that way? The presence of a child is a blessing. Their life

can, and does, enrich our own. But to in any way shape or form pretend that this

is a gift to both your child and your family? I don’t get it.

I have my own medical conditions that I deal with. They are not a blessing. Do

they shape the course of my life and who I am? Of course. I believe that things

happen for a reason. That fate does exist. But it doesn’t mean you view

everything as a gift from God.

So, please, stop writing things that make me roll my eyes.

---------------------------------

Kristy Colvin

IMDSA President

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

International Mosaic Down Syndrome Association

PH: 979-828-4177

Toll Free: 1-888-MDS-LINK

http://www.imdsa.org

http://www.mosaicmoments.today.com