MoreAlikeThanDifferent

This fact makes me incredibly angry. When we were first discussing AJ’s diagnosis, so many people would ask us why he couldn’t “just do a heart transplant”

And the short answer was - because Iowa isn’t one of the few states that protect against this kind of discrimination.

In fact - the only states that do are listed below:

California (AB 2861) (1996)
New Jersey (SB1456) (2013)
Maryland (SB 792) (2015)
Massachusetts (Chapter 328) (2016)
Oregon (HB 2839) (2017)
Delaware (HB 21) (2017)
Kansas (HB 2343) (2018)
Ohio (HB 332) (2018)
Pennsylvania (Act 90) (2018)
Washington (HB 5405) (2019)
Louisiana (HB 143) (2019)
Indiana (SB 112) (2019)

Notice something a out those? Most of those states only adopted those protections in the last few years. At the time AJ was born, there were only three states on this list.

Now - I’m AJs case there’s would have likely been other contributing factors, like his pulmonary hypertension, but the fact is that nobody even looked that far. Once he had the official trisomy 21 diagnosis, our options for treatment, or at least the manner in which people talked to us about our options, shifted.

There is definitely work left to do in this area. I don’t believe that a persons diagnosis of Down syndrome alone makes them less worthy of receiving care or support than anyone else, and will continue to push for better protection from discrimination and awareness.

#DownSyndrome #Transplant #downsyndromefacts #trisomy21 #t21fam #stopdiscrimination #MoreAlikeThanDifferent #DownSyndromeAwarenessMonth

People like me with Down syndrome have nourishing friendships, jobs, and relationships.

We go to school. We have celebrity crushes. We get married.

We drink wine with our girlfriends and dance it up at parties (if that’s what we’re into)!

We may even have our own apartments.

You may look at me and think I’m different, but we all have so much more in common!

#DownSyndrome #CheerMeOn #MoreAlikeThanDifferent #Friendship

What am I doing to help another when chaos seems to be overwhelming a family member, a neighbor, and even a friend from IG whom I’ve never personally met?
How may I show love to them right where they are, as they are? So many want to talk negatively or judge another without uttering a single word to them personally.
An example of this is, in November 2017, our leaves on one side of our yard were in desperate need of mulching. Without personally reaching out to us and asking how our family was, we received an email from our Home Owners Association giving us a warning that we had until the end of the week to remove them. Little did they know, I had just lost my momma and miscarried within a day of one another and the leaves in our yard was the last thing on my mind!
With that being said, our first instinct may not be to ask how may we help. However, if we see the kindness of another, it may inspire us to do the same! So, when given another opportunity, we can chose to ask “how may I help you?” Then, as more opportunities arise and are acted upon, being kind and helpful can become instinctive!
Here are a few ways to show love instead of judging: “Motherhood can be crazy. May I bring you and your family dinner?” ; “I am doing yard work and am already dirty, may I help mow or pull weeds for you?” What if we became apart of encouragement, breathed love and life into someone instead of adding stress and heartache to another? Can you say #WorldChangers ?!? 🙌🏼
The way I see it, we are all really on the same team. Some team members may look different. Some team members may act different. However, we are a team. Oh, what a difference we can all be, with kindness, compassion, and love, especially during the most chaotic times in another’s life! .
.
#BeTheChange #empoweringwomen #helpingothers #PositiveVibes #Momlife #Momblogger #MoreAlikeThanDifferent #Team #neighborhood #Kindness #LoveOneAnother #Love #blessings #help #communicate #nojudgement #Hope #IGotYou #LoveThyNeighbor @themightysite

I have a confession. I have only personally met two other mommas that have children with DS. I have met so many beautiful families, via IG, that share a similar journey as ours and I’m so thankful for that friendship! However, the need for a personal connection is vital!
Y’all are “my people”! I need you and you need me. It’s as simple as that. I couldn’t stop crying as I was getting ready this morning because I was afraid of my own emotions that may come out when I walked into our first @changingthefaceofbeauty photo shoot! I was about to be surrounded by more families like mine than I’ve ever been around and they didn’t even know it. I say this because our kids aren’t the only ones that need to see themselves in advertisements, dolls, and magazines. We as parents need to see ourselves in another face, another story, another testimony, over a cup of coffee, or even in a lingering hug.
We never know what another is feeling when we meet them or come into their presence. A simple gesture of love and acceptance is all someone may need.
I have a feeling this is just the beginning of many precious connections! To all my new friends I met today, you and your children are beautiful in so many ways and I’m honored that you are “my people”! .
#Momlife #MyPeople #PositiveVibes #nothingdownaboutit #ChangingTheFaceOfBeauty #kidsofinstagram #MoreAlikeThanDifferent #MakingMemories #Hope #change #mifamilia #DifferentlyAbled #GodMakesNoMistakes #GoodDay #saturday #Love