By Beth and Joel On October 20, 2012 our son Jacob became an adult in the eyes of the Jewish people at the tender age of 13. Becoming a “Bar Mitzvah” (literally translated, “Son of the Commandment”) is a rite of passage for Jewish boys who are ent
By Lisa Joshua is 18 years old and is a senior at Riverside Brookfield High school (RB) in Riverside, IL. Joshua has outstanding school spirit. He attends most school sporting events (Girls, Boys, Varsity, JV, etc… Football, basketball Volleyball etc.).
By Bill & Laurie We were so excited when our son Patrick was chosen to join Team USA as a speed skater at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Pyeongchang, Korea. As part of Team USA, he participated in training camp in Lake Placid, NY in Decemb
By Rebecca In 2003, my husband Jeff and I longed for a life with a baby boy. So, at age 34, we were off for our first prenatal visit. With two girls at home, we were desperately hoping that this would be the pregnancy that would give us that baby boy. A
By Tom We first learned that Abby might have Down syndrome about twelve weeks into Lisa’s pregnancy. At that point, Lisa underwent a blood test as well as a nuchal translucency test. The doctor performed the measurements on the ultrasound for the nuchal
By Tammy I was 18 weeks pregnant when I received the phone call with the results from the amnio. The doctor simply said he was sorry and I was having a male child with Down syndrome. I felt as if the bottom had fallen out of our world. We had tried
By Rae It’s the last stretch of a marathon. You’ve run a Herculean distance and even though you’ve trained for this moment, the wall has you unprepared. If you take another step you’re reasonably certain you’re going to have a heart attack. You
By Erika My name is Erika. I am 25 years old. I want to tell you a little about my life. I live in Naperville with my parents. I have the best family in the world! My Dad and Mom have always supported me. They helped me to work towards my dreams and goals
By Linda Most of us who are parents of special needs children have felt that moment of panic when we realize that high school, the last state supported program available for most of our children, is ending. And the panic is always around the question…
By Julie Have you considered finding a volunteer assignment for your child with Down syndrome? Jump right in, the water is fine! Our 12-year-old son, Miles, is an energetic, social guy who loves being around all types of people. About a year ago, my h
