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Jon's
Story By Mike & Sally Halasz
(8/07)
Our son Jonathan was born in March of 1982.
He was the 3rd one of our children and a textbook
case as I was 40 years old. I could have found
out he was downs before he was born but I
never thought anything like having a handicap
child would happen to me. Even though you
have a greater chance of having a downs child
later in life, I had never taken any kind
of drugs, didn’t smoke and didn’t
drink so therefore I rejected any test that
might have told us before hand of his condition.
Shortly after he was born the nurses brought
him to my room so we could bond. That had
not happened with my other two babies, but
I kept thinking times have changed. My husband
and I were not told till the next morning
that we had a down’s boy and the ob-gyn
doctor was trying to be very positive telling
us quote “if you had to have a down’s
child you had a good one” due to his
muscle tone not being floppy and no medical
problems. The pediatrician, however, was a
different story. He advised us to take him
home, sit him in the corner and give him a
paper sack to play with, as he wouldn’t
want toys to play with. My husband and I often
laugh these days, as the doctor was right.
Our son does play with paper sacks ……..and
plastic. You see he is a courtesy clerk for
Safeway and bags groceries. But I am getting
ahead of my story.
Jon started programs to help him at the age of 8 weeks, and has been in school ever since. We had to teach him everything other babies take for granted. But he learned and my husband and I never thought of him as handicapped and expected him to do everything our other children had done. He grew and started a regular kindergarten class when he was 6 years of age. As he continued he would have P.E., art, homeroom in a regular classroom and all his math, reading, writing he was pulled out and went to a special class with a special ed teacher. By the time he got to high school he was so well known in the school system that he was given the freedom to go from class to class by himself without a buddy to escort him. By the 11th grade he was taught to take the city bus by himself and that opened up a whole new world of freedom to him. He now attends the SRJC on his own taking such classes such as college skills, swimming, karate (he is a brown belt), cooking class, computer class, golf, tennis, and this fall he is going to take archery. He is still learning every year and his skills continue to grow.
Jon started out helping his older brother in a lawn business being a gofer for his brother and getting paid for it. He quickly learned that he could save his money and then go to the movies, or buy a soda. When his brother went on to college and gave up the lawn business, Jon too was out of a job. His dad and him went to Safeway and filled out an application and Jon got hired. His father acted as his job coach for about 3 weeks after which Safeway said he is doing just fine and we won’t need you to aid him anymore. That was 7 years ago. He is in the union making union wages with insurance, three weeks vacation and all of the benefits of the union. In the 7 years he has been there he has only been late 1 time and absent due to illness 2 days. He takes his job seriously and makes sure he knows his schedule for the coming week and that he gets up on time and is clean and neat when he leaves for work. Working in the public has given him a world of experiences………some good and some not so good but he has handled each one. This summer he wanted to give back to the community so he decided to volunteer at the Food Bank two days a week.
Jon has wanted to do everything his older brother has done and his biggest disappointment was turning 16 and not being able to drive a car. But Jon overcame that also and with the help of Becoming Independent and North Bay Regional Center in 2004 he got his California driver’s license. He has his own car and drives not only to college but also to work and anyplace else he might want to go in the area. He is a very good driver. We have always taught Jon to do things the right way the first time as he doesn’t forget and will do it the same way each time thereafter.
The entire family is very proud of Jon’s achievements. He continues to amaze us and we look forward to the future with great happiness. He has truly been a blessing.
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Liam
Richardson's Perfect Day By Jennifer
Damberger (7/07)
• I wake up and Daddy hasn’t gone
to work.
• Mom let’s me help change my
morning poopie diaper – I like to use
the wipes.
• Veronica “V” and Gianna
“baby”, my sisters, and I bring
books and toys in Mom & Dad’s bed
and we hang out.
• Dad lifts me up and I get to turn
all of the light switches on and off in the
house.
• Mom asks for my help in making the
morning smoothie and I get to operate the
blender “on – off – on –
off – on – off….”
• While Mom and Dad are getting breakfast,
no one notices as I get the car keys and hit
the panic button on the car for a morning
wake up call to the neighbors.
• Mom asks me to help and bring things
to the table for breakfast; I like to be a
helper.
• At the table – we eat all of
the yogurt and ice cream that I want.
• Mom and Dad have a cough and I get
to pat them on the back to help them.
• V, the baby and I take a bath and
I don’t get in trouble for pouring water
out of the tub and on V & the baby’s
head.
• I have a play date with Howard Termo
and he brings his big bag just like Santa
and he lets me open it and pull out all of
the toys.
• After playtime, I sneak the chair
over to the counter with the telephone and
nobody notices while I spend the next 15 minutes
talking to China on the speaker phone.
• Realizing I’m thirsty, I move
the chair over to the fridge and Mom has forgotten
to turn the lock button on and I can press
the water dispenser and get water all over
me and the floor.
• Before lunch Mom let’s me get
me up on the counter to wash my hands –
which turns to complete fun as get in the
sink and spray the hose everywhere while she
turns her back to help the baby.
• My friend Joanne Figone comes for
lunch and we eat as much as we want and as
fast as I want without any choking. Then we
play with her string and beads.
• After lunch we go outside to play
and while Mom’s turned around I push
the balls, stroller, bike and my dump truck
(with V in it) down our street and then watch
Mom running crazy after it all.
• We go to the park and play kick ball
and Dad helps me climb on all the monkey bars.
• When we get home – Dad and I
sit on the couch and I get to operate the
remote for the TV.
• I go around the house opening and
closing doors. The only one I need to master
now is the front door.
• We eat dinner by candle light and
I get to blow all the candles out.
• Dad chases Veronica and I around the
room before bed.
• In our pj’s we all lay in bed
together and Dad sneaks me a bite of one of
his Ho-Ho’s. (he likes snacks in bed).
• Daddy carries me into bed and I fall
asleep dreaming of what we will do tomorrow.
Raquel
Juanita's Story By
Allie Zuniga (7/07)
This is the story of our Beautiful &
Amazing Raquel Juanita. I was so surprised
to find out I was going to have another baby
at 42. My husband and I were very excited
to hear the news. This would be his first
and my 3rd. I declined any testing during
my pregnancy because we felt that this was
a miracle and why test when whoever was going
to be in our life was already on the way.
I had a wonderful pregnancy. I delivered Raquel
on August 10, 2006 at the Birth Center in
a water birth. It was perfect. She was perfect
and beautiful. We took her home and had NO
idea that she was different in any way. We
took her in for a infant screening test and
well baby check and that was when we were
told that she had Down Syndrome. We were so
so scared and worried when we received the
news. I had never had any experience with
Down Syndrome. We had the most beautiful little
girl and no idea what it meant and what was
to come. It was a very scary 24 hours for
me until the next day when 2 women from the
Down syndrome Support group arrived at my
door. They came in with the biggest smiles
and congratulations. I felt instantly better
and less afraid of what was to be the future
for my little girl and my family.
Raquel Juanita is our JOY! Each month she
gives us a new surprise. She is sitting up
on her own, she has 3 teeth to add to her
smile. She says DADA and laughs. She is in
a swimming class at the YMCA. She Rocks and
moves to music, raising her hands to enjoy
it. Her big sister Paige and brother Philip
adore her and she is now 11 months and full
of smiles, laughter and applauds for everyone
she sees. She is such a huge blessing in our
lives it is hard to imagine what we would
do without her. She is Amazing and each day
brings more accomplishments for her and continues
to bring us SO MUCH HAPPINESS.
ALLIE & JUAN CARLOS
PAIGE, PHILIP & RAQUEL JUANITA
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Emma's
Story By
Emma was born July 17, 2000. We were not expecting
her to have Down Syndrome, so it came as a
big shock to us and our family. I cried a
lot and was scared and unsure of what my life
was going to bring. I do not want any new
or expectant parent to feel the way I felt.
My life is wonderful and perfect in every
way. Emma is a truly amazing and wonderful
person. She fits our family perfectly and
we would not be complete without her. She
has a way of making people smile and laugh
everywhere we go. She amazes us everyday at
what she is capable of and of her accomplishments.
Emma and her sisters are very close and do
everything together. They love to ride bikes,
go swimming, and play house. Emma is especially
close to her big sister, Maddie. She looks
up to her and loves just hanging out with
her.
Maddie would like to share what Emma means to her:
" Sis, my turn, my turn!" Emma says every night before bed. When it's her turn, she gets to sleep in my room (a special treat). Emma is a wonderful sister and she is fun to play with. At night we always eat popcorn and watch Disney channel. We love to do things together. In 2003 we went to the National Down Syndrome buddy walk in New York city. There we got to meet actors and actresses. We also got to be on the Panasonic T. V. Not to mention going to the statue of Liberty.
On Wednesdays and Thursdays last year, my friends and I helped out in Emma's kindergarten class during our lunch recess. I can't do that next year though because I'm going to Junior High (a different campus). Emma can read simple books, write her name, and count.
Emma loves to do Lemonade stands and play with Athena and Chelsea, our neighbors. Emma has brought us many laughs and memories in the past and, I know she'll bring us many in the future.
Sincerely,
Madeline Noellle Kucer, Age 12
 Emma and her friend Anahi at their last day of kindergarten |
 Emma and her big sis, Maddie |
 Emma riding her horse |
 All of my girls - Maddie, Emma, Sophie, Olivia |
 Emma and her little sisters, Sophie and Olivia, selling lemonade |
Gloria
P. Huerta, Jr. Story By Gloria
P. Huerta Sr. (5/2007)
Dear Friend's,
Gloria Jr. is my 3rd and youngest daughter.
Born May 5, 1982, 25 years ago. The birth
was complicated by a c-section. I had no idea
she was going to be a Down syndrome child,
as at twenty six years old I was too young
to ever have that happen.....So they say.
I awoke from surgery to find Tony (her dad)
crying above my hospital bed. I ask him what
was wrong and his replied was "The doctor
will be coming in to talk with you" and
walked out the door. At first I thought he
was upset that she was a girl, as we already
had 2 daughter's and he might have really
wanted a son. We knew this would be our last
child.
When the doctor finally came to talk with
me, he ask me "Do you know what Mongolism
is?". I answered "yes" and
then asked him, "isn't that called Down
syndrome?"
Well, he gave me all the details and then
finish up with other question for me. This
one was before I even got to see her. "Do
you want her? If not, we will put her in a
place where she can be taken care of."
WHAT A QUESTION!!!
I would not have wanted anything else in my
life at that moment. I knew that, right then
and there, the second I saw her, it was instant.........LOVE!!
What the doctor told me she would not be able
to do.......SHE DID!!
I wanted to breast feed her even thought he
told me she would have poor muscle tone in
her mouth to eat right. Well, let me tell
you she proved them wrong!!!
I don't know where to start with all the things
she has accomplished in her young life. Yes,
her reading and writing won't be par with
her peers, but she still tries very hard at
this. She has grown up to be a very gifted
child. I found her strength's and have made
that her strong point in her life, which is
her love of dance, friend's, family.
There are a lot of things that have happened
in her life that have been hard for me to
understand. Like why at 16 years old, while
home alone from school due to menstrual cramps,
she decides to call 911. They sent an ambulance
to the house, they pick her up, and she then
gets a ride to the hospital in Petaluma...all
by herself!!!
Or why she goes completely numb when I am
trying to correct her (like most teenagers).
Or just when everything seems to be going
well and she is learning more and more to
not lean on me so, she does something that
sets her back. At times like these I feel
that we need to start all over again.
And then we move on..........it's O. K.
But for all the not so good times, there are
so much, much more wonderful, special and
even emotional times in our lives together.
She has such a trust in everyone that comes
in her circle of life. Her love of people
out shines everything she can't do. She has
no problem walking up to a man or woman and
letting them know how handsome or beautiful
they are.
We were at a Mexican restaurant one evening.
As we were eating and listening to a live
Mariachi band, 4 young men came and sat down
at the table next to us. Well, low and behold
she starts up a conversation with one of them
and then the others join in. As the band starts
to play again, Gloria goes and request a dance
from one of these guys, (who by the way was
about my age!!) and you know what....he did!!!
There she was in all her glory, as everyone
else looked on, dancing and having fun!!!
I would have never, ever have done that!!!
But that's what make her so special. We had
a wonderful time that night.
Stuff like this happens all the time, when
we are together.
I have come to admire Gloria Jr. for who she
is and not what I want her to become. She
has taught me not to judge others by their
appearance. She has shown me to be kinder
to all I meet. She has given me a big lesson
on forgiveness. And she has shown me to be
happy everyday.
For me, I see Gloria Jr. as wearing her "spiritual
soul" on the outside for all to see and
you know what? I want to be just like her.
"Thank you Lord for giving me your gift
of Love"
My Daughter Gloria Patricia Jr.
Gloria P. Huerta Sr.
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Jason’s Birth Story By Lisa Nolan (4/2007)
Jason Finbarr Nolan arrived into our hearts and lives on September 2nd, 2004 at 1:08 AM at 8.12 pounds! After laboring for 36 hours, an emergency C Section was performed because Jason’s heartbeat became too low. Jason spent the next nine days in the Intensive Care Nursery Unit so his heart valve would close and he could regulate his own body temperature and oxygen level, among other things; and I stayed in the hospital to be with him and nurse him. It was during this time we came to know Jason as a good-natured little baby who rarely cried or fussed, in spite of his condition, and who jumped many hurdles with much strength and determination. Everyone who came in contact with Jason, the ICN nurses and doctors, friends and family, were immediately smitten with him and his chipmunk cheeks, strawberry blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and funny facial expressions. Some of the ICN nurses nick named him “The Little Sailor” because he burped like a drunken sailor!
Jason had one more hurdle to jump, however: the morning after he was born we were told he had Down syndrome, and on September 15th a final blood test confirmed it.
We truly believe Jason was meant to be on this earth, and in his journey to be born his little spirit wanted the most welcoming parents he could find, and so he chose me and my husband, Sean, to be his mommy and daddy. Jason knew we would love him with all our heart-and-soul and give him all the support and compassion and affection he could ever ask for. And so we feel blessed that Jason has chosen us to be his parents.
We could not be any more in love with our Little Sailor than if he had been born without Down syndrome, and we probably love him all more because of it. Join us in the celebration and joy of our wonderful baby boy!
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Nathan's Story By Donna Patrick (4/2007)
Before Dan and I made the decision to have a 3rd child I attended a Christmas party where there was a newborn little girl with Down Syndrome. I held her in my arms and thought to myself, "What would I do if my child had Down Syndrome. How would I react?" As I walked home from the party I asked my self if she was God's sign that I should not have a 3rd baby. I discussed it with my husband and we decided together and left it in God's hands. Nathan having Down Syndrome was a surprise as we did not have the testing. However, having him in my arms when my doctor told us made me feel more at ease as well as the fact he did not have any health issues.
Nathan
is now 18 months and a pure delight. He has
the most beautiful blue eyes and a smile that
makes my heart melt. He adores his older brothers
Noah and Nicholas as well as our dog Ava. Whenever
I start to doubt his progress he seems to sense
it and blows me away - sitting up, crawling,
drinking out of a straw. When I was still in
the hospital, Dan said he was going to tell
Noah, our oldest son, right away. He felt Noah
was old enough to understand. After Dan told
him and answered his questions he went back
to school and announced to the entire class,
"My newborn brother has Down Syndrome and
he may learn things a little slower but he will
be just fine". The teachers and students
were in tears - not to mention Dan and me. Every
time I think about that it makes me remember
how lucky we are to have such incredible sons
and
Nathan WILL be just fine!
 
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Dominic :: by Angela Ubaldi (4/2007)
Our son, Dominic, was born on August 31st, 2003. He was to be our first born child and the first grandchild on both sides of our families ....needless to say he was very much anticipated. When Dominic came into this world we knew our lives had changed forever, and we did not know he had Down Syndrome until an hour after I gave birth to him. As you can imagine the news shattered our hearts....as my husband and I knew very little about Down Syndrome. There was never a doubt in our minds that we would love our little boy with every inch of our heart and soul and we would do whatever we had to to educate ourselves and others about our son and his abilities.
That was 3 ½ years ago...and our lives have been enriched in every way possible. Not only do we have the happiest and most loving little boy....whom melts our hearts every time he laughs, but Dominic has taught us what life is really about: compassion, patience and unconditional love.
I have to share a little story of encouragement and strength about Dominic. Dominic has been attending the local special education preschool here in Petaluma since September 2006. I have always taken and picked Dominic up from school, while his classmates all rode the bus, as I could not bring myself to believe that Dominic could ride the busy by himself (now I know that was an excuse for me not wanting my little boy to grow up too fast). Finally my husband and I decided it would be a good step for both Dominic and us to allow Dominic to ride the bus ...which I figured it would take Dominic a while to adjust to riding the bus and anticipated that I would have to do some encouragement along the way. Well...the bus picked Dominic up this past Tuesday in front of our house...and you should have seen the look in Dominic’s eyes when he saw the bus. He didn’t even hesitate....he grabbed his "Elmo" backpack and headed straight to the bus and never looked back (as if he’d been riding the bus for years). He got on the bus w/ the biggest smile on his face (Dominic just had his tonsils and adenoids removed two weeks prior, it was so great to finally see that beautiful smile back). As the bus driver buckled him in, Dominic rose his arms up in excitement and yelled ...."YEEEAAAHHHH!!!!". As a mother, this was a bittersweet moment....I cried like a little baby as the bus drove away with my little boy. I will always refer to this day as the start of many steps of Dominic becoming more and more independent....and having the strength to survive in this sometime cruel world. I admire Dominic for his strength and confidence, qualities that I wish I had more of, and he is only 3 ½!
Some of Dominic loves are his "Momma & Dada" (of course), his 2 year old "Sissy", movies, animals, school, ice cream, Elmo, playing at the park, laughing and loves to give the biggest hugs! Oh and of course his new love is riding the bus to school!
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A Tale of Four Adoptions :: By Barbara Curtis (3/2007)
I know what it’s like to be abandoned. When my dad said his final goodbye, as a five year old I didn’t know the word for fear – but fear gripped me: What would it be like not to have a father?
So much worse than I could have imagined. Shuffled between foster homes and an alcoholic mother, my innocence was taken early. My heart became hard.
As a cynical young adult, though in 1969 I married and had a baby (Samantha Sunshine) I found my real home in the counterculture: first in Washington DC as an antiwar activist and radical feminist/spokeswoman for abortion rights. In 1972 we moved to San Francisco, where I had another baby (Jasmine Moondance), became addicted to cocaine, abandoned my marriage and became a party girl, dealing drugs while partying and living with gay men.
Looking back, I’m grateful that God – even before I knew him – had other plans for my life and that in spite of my sin and selfishness He brought them to pass.
My mind began to clear in 1980 when I joined Alcoholics Anonymous. There I learned that by surrendering to a Higher Power, I could live my life clean and sober one day at a time, becoming the mother that my little girls – then 5 and 11 – had always needed.
Seeking to know more of this Higher Power – but as a child of the counterculture – I turned toward Eastern Religion and New Age thought.
In 1983 I married a man of similar persuasion. When, in spite of using birth control we began having children in rapid succession, Tripp and I came to the conclusion that our calling was to have a big family. We made a promise to God-as-we-understood-him (kind of a universal, impersonal force) that we would accept all the children sent to us, trusting they would be provided for.
Like most people, we were thinking of material provision. But God honored our commitment by providing for our children in a way we would not have known to ask – He brought us into a relationship with Him through His son Jesus Christ. By putting our marriage and our home in order, God provided for the family’s spiritual needs.
That was 1987 and by then we had five children – Samantha and Jasmine plus three boys whose names – Joshua Gabriel, Matthew Raphael and Benjamin Michael – were like God’s signposts that all along things had been going according to his plan.
More children followed: Zachary Andrew, Sophia Rose, and then in 1992 Jonathan, our son with Down syndrome. Hearing the news at his birth, my first thought was “God must love me very much!” I knew it would be just the beginning of an amazing journey.
And it was.
Madeleine – my ninth – was born a year after Jonny and because of his delays, they grew up like twins – even learning to walk together. But knowing that the gap between them would widen as years went by – and also because we had learned so much about meeting Jonny’s special needs that it seemed like good stewardship – we decided to adopt another baby with Down syndrome.
We contacted Catholic Charities in San Francisco and began our home study. I also hooked into an informal network of people who found out first when an unwanted baby with Down syndrome was born, learning that there are actually fewer such babies than parents seeking to adopt them.
I wanted to be first in line.
And so it was that on May 29, 1995 – three days after my 47th birthday – I learned of a little baby without a name in a San Diego hospital, less than 24 hours old. Though I knew immediately he was our baby, it took a lot of work and several months to bring him home.
Baby G____, as he was named on his original birth certificate, was the second child of a college-educated, professional couple with a two-year-old daughter hoping to complete their family with a son. The birth was quick and uneventful – only half an hour after the mother entered the hospital. But the parents’ peace was shattered by the news that their perfect plan had hit a glitch.
Though his mother was one of twelve children from a deeply religious Mexican family, the father was Iranian, and his cultural heritage had not prepared him for an imperfect son. Though the maternal grandmother offered to raise the baby, the father refused. Within hours, the parents relinquished the baby to the state of California and left the hospital.
How I wished those papers had not been signed so quickly! For once he was in the foster care system, it would take months to get him out. Not to mention that our home study was not quite complete and we were in a county in northern California 900 miles away!
Still, when a mother knows it’s her baby she will not rest until she brings him home. I pestered the powers-that-be in San Diego mercilessly, while exchanging what I could with the temporary foster mother: her video of my precious baby for tapes of me crooning lullabies and a handkerchief I’d worn to tuck in his bed.
Two months seemed like eternity, but at last on July 25, Tripp and I brought home our precious bundle. We named him Jesse, which means “God exists.” The following Sunday our local paper ran a front page article splashed not only with pictures of our family, but the complete story of the spiritual journey which led to our tenth child – as though God had used this little abandoned boy to broadcast the message of his might and power.
Though that was the end of our plan, God wasn’t finished. When Jesse was six months old, Catholic Charities referred a couple to us who had just received a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. Again, a college-educated, professional couple with a two year old awaiting the birth of their second and final child had hit a bump in the road. The mother was set on obtaining an abortion.
The father, a non-practicing Catholic, could not agree. Catholic Charities thought that perhaps by talking to us, the couple would be reassured that this baby was not the end of the world. We had them over for dinner, sure that meeting our children would change the mother’s mind.
Instead it led to a compromise as the parents decided they wanted us to adopt their baby. We agreed, but with the stipulation that we would get ready to receive him, but we would also be ready to let the baby go if they decided to keep him. This mom and I went through the last four months of her pregnancy together – going to all the doctor appointments and ultrasounds and talking several times a week on the phone.
On Mother’s Day 1996 – two weeks before Jesse’s first birthday – we were on our way to church when we got the call that they were at the hospital. We arrived a half hour after the baby was born. The four parents spent the day in the hospital holding him and crying together – each of us for different reasons. But the birth mother never wavered in her decision and the parents checked out of the hospital, leaving me to spend the night in the hospital. Tripp and I brought Daniel home the next morning.
To say the next few years were intense – raising three boys with Down syndrome only four years apart – hardly conveys the daily reality. But they were happy years as well. And it did my mother’s heart good to see the beneficial effect on our other children as in helping Jonny, Jesse, and Daniel reach their potential they were reaching their own.
Still, when Catholic Charities called in 2000 to ask if we would consider adopting another baby with Down syndrome, I had to say: “I’m 52, I’m wearing down. I’m sorry. I have to say no.” As I hung up the phone, 12-year-old Sophia confronted me: “Mom, I can’t believe that you would say no!” and I felt as though she was right. Who was I to close a door God might be trying to open?
And so we welcomed a nine-month-old boy born to a Taiwanese couple during their time here on a student visa. Though they loved him dearly, they knew that if they took him home, there would be only stigma and shame in a land where children with Down syndrome are still sent away to institutions. Their involvement with the early intervention programs showed them there was hope for Justin if he remained here. Catholic Charities had introduced them to many families, but none really clicked until they met ours, where the older children’s love for their younger brothers convinced them that ours was the right home.
How glad I am that Sophia overheard and rebuked me for my first response, based on my fears that my own resources were limited. I guess that isn’t what God was thinking. And Justin has been like the perfect exclamation point to our adoption journey.
But what about the fourth adoption? you may be wondering.
Ah, but that was in the beginning – eight years before Jesse – when this fatherless child was adopted into the kingdom of God. Though I was 38, in many ways I was like the babies I adopted – desperately in need of a home. And even as I knew before I ever laid eyes on them that they were mine, God always knew I was his.
In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. Ephesians 1:5
Giving birth to children is a miraculous privilege. But adoption is a reflection of the divine.
Love,
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Visit Barbara's Web site at Mommy Life http://www.mommylife.net/
Down Syndrome Support Group provides loving, carefree environment where kids 'can be themselves' :: By Jaime Martinez (2/2007)
Pop music blares, pink heart balloons decorate the room, and a pair of teenage sweethearts snuggle on the dance floor. It could be a typical high school Valentine's Day dance scene, but the kids at this dance have a little something extra. They have an extra chromosome in each of their cells.
The Sonoma County Down syndrome Support Group held its second annual Valentines Day party Sat., February 10. "It's about awareness and getting the kids together," said Jennifer Angel, parent of a child with Down syndrome. "They don't go to school dances, so they miss out on those kinds of events. This is an environment where they can be themselves."
Gloria Huerta founded the group about 13 years ago when her daughter, Gloria Jr., was 13. The main goals are to promote awareness about Down syndrome, provide support for families with Down syndrome and raise funds for research.
"We
try to make people more aware of our Down
syndrome kids and let them know that these
kids are capable of working and living
independently," Huerta said. "These
kids are capable of so much more than
people realize." The group hosts a variety of events through out the year, including dances, holiday parties, Mom's Dinners and bowling events. One of their more prominent events is the Buddy Walk fundraiser held in the fall. The group works with another nonprofit, Becoming Independent, to put together the fundraiser, and kids in the group complete a one-mile walk in Howarth Park. Angel says that the group donated 25 percent of the funds raised to the National Down syndrome Society. The money goes towards research, education, and scholarship programs. |
 Gloria Huerta and her daughter, Gloria Jr., at a friend's wedding in 2006 where the two performed Hula dancing. Photo Courtesy Gloria Huerta |
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Another important service that the group offers is the Hope Basket Program. Upon request, Hope Baskets are delivered to families who have just had a child with Down syndrome born into their family. The baskets are filled with items like baby pajamas, a calendar, books, and flowers for mom.
According to Huerta it is common for parents to be unaware of the fact that their child has Down syndrome until he or she is born. Donna and Dan Patrick were in such a situation when their third son, Nathan, was born 17 months ago. The Patricks brought all three of their children to the Valentines Day party, and Donna says that the group has provided them with a lot of helpful information since Nathan was born. "We've met a lot of good friends here," she said.
A child does not have to have Down syndrome to be a part of the Down syndrome Support Group. Cathy Van Dalen's daughter has a different disability, but she and her daughter were present at the party. "All are welcome," Van Dalen says. "You let down your guard. It's a nice environment."
The Down syndrome Support Group is an Affiliate of Becoming Independent. They support families in areas from Lake to Marin Counties.
Danial :: By Alex Perez
Our son is Danial. He is 3 and he has Down Syndrome and Autism. He is the cutest little boy. We love him so much. He makes us smile and laugh everyday. He is such a blessing from God. We are so lucky to have this little boy in our family. He has a wonderful older brother named Dominick who is 10. Danial always wants to be with him. Our family would not be complete with him, he keeps us on our toes.
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