Today, on World Down’s Syndrome Awareness Day, three mothers have come forward to express their belief that Down’s syndrome is not a disability, but an ability. Among them, Rebecca Millard, 41, who felt “blessed” when her son Henry, now four years old, was born with Down’s Syndrome. Millard had previously been told that she would never be able to have children and says that when she learned about Henry’s diagnosis, it didn’t matter to her.
Millard also said that Henry, who is non-verbal, has recently started learning Makaton, a form of sign language that uses speech and symbols, and is now able to communicate his needs.
Hannah Palmer, 31, from Leiston, Suffolk, also shared her personal experience of raising a child with Down’s Syndrome. Palmer’s daughter, Maisie, was “whisked away” shortly after birth to a neonatal intensive care unit. While testing did not reveal any chance that Maisie would be born with Down’s Syndrome, she was only diagnosed five days after birth.
Fahmida Islam, 44, from Kesgrave, near Ipswich, initially found it difficult to come to terms with her daughter Symayyah’s diagnosis but now says her extra chromosome “makes her who she is”. Islan explained that the Down’s Syndrome Suffolk support group was essential for her family, as it provided a safe and inclusive space where her other children, Habeeb, eight, and Amelia, five, could play with other children with Down’s Syndrome.
Julie Nightingale set up the Suffolk Down’s Syndrome Support Group in Ipswich ten years ago when her daughter, Jasmine, was two, and says it is open to all families. Nightingale said that by setting up the group, she had “the privilege of meeting lots of other lovely children and their families
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More