What I Didn't Know

Excerpts of Stories by or About Persons with Down Syndrome

Minutes after Raelene was born we received the news: "I think your daughter has Down syndrome." Most of that day - in fact, most of the next few days and weeks were a blur. But I do remember fighting back the tears every time I looked at her, held her, or even thought about her. To add to our misery, within hours of Rae's birth we learned a family secret.

A cousin of mine, two years earlier, had sought amniocentesis early in her pregnancy. She learned she carried a very rare chromosomal rearrangement which resulted in her carrying a fetus with Down syndrome. She didn't appreciate the need to tell other family members that we might also have this chromosomal abnormality and thus have an extraordinary high risk of producing a child with Down syndrome. I was enraged! Maybe this terrible thing could have been avoided! If I had only known...

I'm inordinately thankful now for what I didn't know. I can't imagine life without our precious Rae. But what I also didn't know was that Rae's placid, sweet nature and her delight in the simplest of things would be the joy of my days. While I know we have many challenges ahead that we might not face with a typical child, I know that our love for our darling little girl will see us through. May you find as much happiness with your new child as we have with ours.