I’m expecting a baby. I discovered that he has Down Syndrome. I’m scared: what kind of life will my child have?
I think many of us are familiar with “Welcome to Holland,” an essay Emily Perl Kingsley wrote to offer encouragement to parents of children with special needs struggling with the lost dream of a “normal child.”
Well. Imagine that the letter is coming from your future child. And instead of a letter, it’s a beautiful video.
Grab a tissue and check it out:
CoorDown, Italy’s National Coordination of Associations for People with Down Syndrome, created the Dear Future Mom video—with help from ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi Italy—in celebration of World Down Syndrome Day, coming up on March 21st:
The chosen theme for World Down Syndrome Day this year is the right to happiness and well-being of people with Down syndrome. The goal is to promote a culture of diversity and true integration into society, especially in the worlds of school and work.
Jeff Ryan, who is, among many things, Andrew’s history teacher, baseball coach, and our friend, sent me this video and a link to a lovely article written by his niece Erin Gloria Ryan in honor of one of his six brothers, Stewart, who had Down Syndrome. Stewart passed away in 1995, but, as Jeff said, “He had a great life. All of us have said that he defined us a family. My niece sent all of her uncles this video knowing how much it would resonate with each of us. It did.”
I did need a tissue. Thank you for sharing.