This is a post by Nikki Nikki Zaccardi Lawrence who is the awesome mother to Wil. She worded this much better than I could. Jena has strengths and weaknesses of her own related to her trisomy 21 or Down syndrome. Happy day three of Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
(her post): I have people say all the time that Wil looks like he has a mild version of Down Syndrome, or that he doesn't "have it that bad"
😂 this doesn't offend me like it could, I don't let things offend me very often. But the truth is, Wil has trisomy 21 just like anyone else who has trisomy 21 or Down Syndrome. He has a third copy of the 21st chromosome just like any other person with Down Syndrome. But just like everyone, people have their own talents and abilities at different levels. He is doing pretty well at talking where others struggle with talking. He didn't walk until he was 2 1/2 whereas others walk much sooner. It is my hopes and dream that as wil grows up, people don't compare his differences, but accept them, and love him as he is. After all, our differences are what make us unique and special. It would be a boring world if we were all the same. 
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💛 happy Down Syndrome awareness month! #wilcanfly#morealikethandifferentOct. 4:
I posted this comment along with an article about "We will never be empty-nesters)
A year ago we were offered a token invitation to attend the Empty nesters family home evening on our neighborhood "because Jena (our daughter with DS) has finished high school and we were...tactfully said...old enough." We are way past old enough but our life journey has been traveled slightly different than many of our same aged peers . We had empty nest years before the arrival of our first child and understood we might be giving up our future empty nester years when we added Jena as our little caboose. And I agree with this mom, we will try to follow Jena's lead but we aren't sure there is another place we would want her to be. We are boring without siblings in the house but hopefully her emerging adulthood can continue to grow and flourish from the safety of home. Gary and I will take our empty nester moments on dates and trips. It is a small price to pay for having Jena in our family.
Oct. 5:
Jena loves history. It started with her outstanding fourth grade teacher Joanne Spencer who taught her about the Native Americans and the pioneers and the history of Utah. We would get these random facts out of no where it seemed in the car or at dinner which would start a history discussion. Some of her favorite books are simple biographies about famous Native Americans or Presidents.
Each year as she was included in typical history classes throughout her junior high and high school years, teachers were first hesitant and then excited as they saw that she was engaged and learning. She couldn't pass the typical tests but with a little effort and creativity, she could be a part of the class. Thanks to all of the amazing history teachers she had who helped her understand the world we live in.
Here is her in 2006 during a family reunion trip to Washington, DC. This is at one of the battlefields in Virginia.
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| 10 years old |
Oct. 6:
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| Jena on her birthday sharing donuts at school |
Down syndrome is the most common chromosomal defect occurring in about 1 out of every 700 or so births. The number is dropping worldwide as more and more parents choose abortion when there is a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. This post is not to start a discussion about the issues of abortion. I just hope that parents are making fully informed decisions which aren't based on fear and inappropriate information.
Jena is a fully functioning person with equal value in life to any other person. I honor her birth parents who allowed her life even when they felt unable to parent her as she needed to be parented. They could have made a different choice. How lucky we are to know her! #nothingdownaboutit#nationaldownsyndromeawarenessmonth
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