Dear Doctor, You Were Wrong About My Daughter With Down Syndrome

Dear Doctor,

On September 30, 2015, you delivered news to me that my daughter had “something wrong” with her heart. I was 19 weeks pregnant. You didn’t know exactly, but you told me she was sick. You also told me she probably had Down syndrome, too.

Through tears I asked you, “Is she going to be OK?” You replied, “Well, it’s hard to say. She will probably have a low IQ and probably won’t ever be in a dance class.”

So what did we do? We found a new doctor. Fast. A doctor who believed in her future.

I recently asked this new doctor if there was anything Emily should not or could not do because of her heart and he responded, “That all depends. Are you going to teach her?”

Today, Emily attended her first dance class. She wiggled to the music and kept a close eye on mommy (who never left her side). As her mother, I decided that maybe she isn’t quite ready for dance class, but it doesn’t mean she can’t! We will try again in a few months!

The negative picture you so vividly placed in my head that day of my daughter’s future will never go away. That experience will stay with me forever and it is my motivation every day to show how amazing Emily is! So this morning as I drove my daughter to dance, your face was the first thing I thought of. I cried because of what you almost took away from me through your words: a future brighter than the sun.

Sincerely,
A very proud mom