Soon after my son Parker was born, my friend, also a mother of a child with Down Syndrome, called to congratulate me.
“Welcome to the club!”, she exclaimed. “You’re gonna love it!”
“Uh”…..I astutely replied, “Come again?”
This wasn’t the first time I had been on the receiving end of such a sentiment. Another friend once told me that if there was a pill discovered that would allow her child to be ‘normal’, she would flush it down the drain.
This is the same Mom who confided in me that when first hearing word of her child’s diagnosis, crawled down to the end of her bed and hid under her covers for the next several days.
She’s come a long way, baby.
Parker’s shortened femurs, and my advanced maternal age gave us a 4% chance of Parker sporting an extra chromosome. Good enough odds to take to Vegas, my OB reassured me. But deep down inside I knew. Parker’s life was going to be different. How different I didn’t know. My heart knew what everyone else didn’t think was probable.
Parker was born 5 weeks early, weighing in at less than 5 pounds, with two holes in his heart, lung issues, pulmonary hypertension, a tethered spinal cord, an imperforate anus, severely obstructive sleep apnea, reflux and aspiration problems. Oh, and that extra chromosome.
But to Reed and I he was nothing short of perfect.
Two emergency life flights up to Primary Children’s Hospital, many, many surgeries and hospital stays, 13 different daily meds, a trach, g-tube, ostomy bags, therapies, therapists and a head full of gray hairs later, we still feel that same exact way.
That is not to say that life with Parker has been without challenges It hasn’t. But it has absolutely been worth it. We’ve discovered the good in a situation that isn’t always easy. We’ve learned to cherish the hard earned victories that often tend to go uncelebrated in typical children.
As this journey with Parker has continued one of my goals is to share with others it’s ups and downs. I’ve wanted to stand before the world and declare: “ Each and every life has equal value. And my child’s life is worth living.”
So when the opportunity of 5 Minutes For Special Needs was presented to me, I accepted without hesitation. Even with the craziness that tends to define our family right now, I want to share my journey with you and hope that you will share yours too. Together we can make a difference.
I guess you could say that 5 Minutes for Special Needs is a type of club. A club where everyone is welcome. A club where living, learning, and loving is celebrated while we share, support and strive to offer some inspiration here and there.
And know that I mean it from the bottom of my heart when I say,
“Welcome to the club!” “You’re gonna love it!”
While you are here. Take a few minutes and Meet Our Team You are going to love them too!
Join us here as we share with you via our own special brand of memes, carnivals, and beautifully written articles, the joy of raising a child with unique and individual needs.
Tammy Hodson
Managing Editor