NOTE: October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month
An OSERS Guest Blog post by Eliana Tardio, a mother with two children with Down syndrome. She also wrote a Guest Blog about her and her children in October 2016.
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17 years ago, I was blessed to give birth to my first child, Emir. He was diagnosed in utero with Down syndrome but it was not until the moment that I held him in my arms that I realized one of the most powerful truths I share with new parents of kids with Down syndrome: He was simply perfect, and even though, I tried really hard to see the syndrome, all I was able to see was the most beautiful child of the world: my child.
Life is an unexpected ride for everyone but for some of us, it is even more unpredictable. Three years later and hoping to have the regular experience of expecting a child without doubt and anxiety, my ex-husband and I committed to a new pregnancy. We did everything right and as suggested by the doctors. The genetic test predicted a very low 5% of probability of having a second child with the same condition, and so we decided [...]