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A mother from County Antrim in Northern Ireland is working to spread awareness about the joys of being a parent to a child with Down syndrome. Ciara Smyth gave birth to her son, Jacob, nearly two years ago, and found at the time that resources for parents of children with Down syndrome were scarce. “A lot of the medical professionals were lovely and supportive in their demeanour,” says Smyth, “But there was no specific place you could go to or people you could speak with and you weren’t put in touch with anybody.”
Smyth then discovered the “Congratulations Book” put together by an American organization called Pals. The book contains handwritten notes from people with Down syndrome discussing the hope and happiness they have experienced in their lives. Smyth was moved and inspired by the book. “In those letters, they talk about how amazing their lives are and what they’ve achieved and how happy they are,” Smyth said. Importantly, she notes, “And they tell parents don’t worry about your new baby, they’re going to be amazing.”
Smyth decided to start her own organization to help parents get the resources they need, as well as to inspire hope and joy about their futures raising children with Down syndrome. Her organization, Joy 21, puts together resource packages for parents, and is permitted by Pals to include a Congratulations Book in the packages.
Click here to view original web page at www.liveaction.org
They’re Trying to Shut Us Down
Over the last several months, I’ve lost count of how many times the powers-that-be have tried to shut us down. They’ve sent hackers at us, forcing us to take extreme measures on web security. They sent attorneys after us, but thankfully we’re not easily intimidated by baseless accusations or threats. They’ve even gone so far as to make physical threats. Those can actually be a bit worrisome but Remington has me covered.
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Thank you and God bless!
JD Rucker
