If I could change the fact that Ruby has Down syndrome I would.Oh,yes,I would.I'm her mother why wouldn't I want to take away something that will make life harder for her.This Down syndrome that has so many side effects.If your child had diabetes,cancer,blindness,deafness or a multitude of other problems wouldn't you take it away?
Yes,I have to accept it and live with it and try and improve Ruby's life any way I can but I would change it for her if I could.
Lisa,Chrystal I'm with you.
I want to say that I respect all of you ladies that feel differently on this subject.
9 comments:
awh, that question, it inevitably gets people heated. But your response to this may change over time...mine has.
I used to look at DS as a "health issue" but it isn't. Down Syndrome is what makes my Megan...Megan. If she had side effects (i.e. heart issues, bowel or intestine issues, cancer) I would take that away in a heart beat....but the things I love about Megan would be gone if we took the DS away and I could not live without her exactly how she is now.
You can look at this never ending debate in so many different ways, sometimes your ideas change with time, how you feel is valid. Thank you for sharing!
I have very vivid moments during some days when I wish Gabe having Down syndrome didn't cause reaction, action or non-action from others.
What I mean is that I see Gabe as he is -- fully intertwined with Down syndrome. But I have more trouble accepting people for who they are, and accepting that in their eyes they see Gabe differently. Some people will always see Gabriel differently.
When I am overtired, emotionally exhausted, or feeling vulnerable, the rest of the world can really get to me.
Would I change Gabriel so that he is reborn without Down syndrome? No. I believe that we're all here on this earth for good reason. And he has his own.
Thanks so much for sharing. It really is interesting reading what so many have to say on this topic.
I wrote about this a year ago:
(my daughter is 14 years old)
http://beneaththewings.blogspot.com/2008/03/i-wouldnt-change-her-if-i-could.html
I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't change who Nate is for all the tea in China.
:)
Since you guys got me thinking about this today, I had the conversation with my husband. He said yes right away and then said "why wouldn't I change it?"
I don't know though. She is healthy now and the hardest part about the Ds is how other people treat her/us. Already I can see how she is different in a very beautiful way than my other (wonderful) children. I wouldn't want to lose that. Also, I believe she has a certain automatic closeness with God that she might not have if she were of the 46C variety. So since it is just a fantasy question anyway, I would change the world's perceptions of Ds and keep her the way she is.
I agree. I remember the moment when I knew for sure how I felt that way. I had a really bad migraine and was trying to tell my mom something. I couldn't think of a simple word I needed to explain something to her, then one of my girls said something and I couldn't remember what the word they used meant. Then I realized, this is how Goldie struggles with speech. She says new words and then they are lost for months.
BTW, don't worry about me, I've had an MRI and my migraines don't happen very often even thought they sound scary
I have been posed with this question before. I have thought about it, ALOT. And, I would not change her Down Syndrome. It is WHO she is. It is what makes her, Eva. Not that all by itself, just like the rest of us, we are made up of many different talents, abilities, and disabilities. I LOVE the DS. I LOVE who she is right now.
I have been asked, if they found a treatment for DS, a cure would you do it? And I don't know about that. I think she was put on this earth, in this body, for a reason, who am I to change that, or want anything different. My opinion. Everyone is entitled to their's and I respect others.
((hugs)) to you Cheryl.
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