This morning at the breakfast table I was awed by something remarkable. It was a shift in outlook that has occurred in our home without us noticing.
When we received the news that our youngest would have Down Syndrome along with Dandy Walker Malformation we were shocked , scared, worried, and confused. It was overwhelming because we didn’t know what her future would hold or even if she would have a future as her prognosis was very grim.
I spent a good part of my pregnancy in a semi-depressed state. The pregnancy was extremely difficult and there were times that I wasn’t so sure if either of us were going to survive but I did and so did she! This stress and anxiety was increased by the fact that we were in the midst of a world wide pandemic as well which meant that I went to the majority of my appointments alone.
After she was born we were relieved because she proved that she was a fighter. As we waited for her blood test to confirm the Down Syndrome we weren’t as anxious anymore. Her Dandy Walker was confirmed the day after she was born and it didn’t seem to feel as awful as it had just a few days before. Part of this was due to her wonderful neurosurgeon who helped us understand it better.
There were so many times that it felt like we just couldn’t go on. There were times that we felt she couldn’t go on. We were proven wrong time and time again and I’ve never been so thrilled about about being wrong!
As time goes on we have continued to face challenges like open feeding issues, heart surgery, and leukemia but she continues to show her warrior spirit and faces every challenge with a smile on her face. We could all learn some lessons from this little girl.
During our pregnancy there had been so much focus on the things she would not be able to do but very little on the things she would be able to achieve in her life. We knew that everything they said wasn’t true as our older son with Down Syndrome is able to do a wide variety of tasks but hearing an ‘expert’ say it just seems to make it seem more like a fact than the opinion it was.
I have really tried to never say that either our son our daughter can’t do something. Instead we try to say that they can’t do it that way so we’ll have to show them a different way that they can do it. we always try to help them find a way that they can do things … hence, her #thelittlegirlwhocould.
This morning I noticed that one of the older girls was trying to teach Shyanne to do something. Shyanne wasn’t getting the hang of it and one fo the girls said ‘she can’t do that’. Big sissy wasn’t giving up and she showed her a different way to do it and she caught right on. Her little face beamed and so did her sister’s… it was like magic.
We need to remember that we can overcome whatever challenge or obstacle is in our path … maybe we can’t get their by the conventional route but we can find another way to get past it. We also need to remember to keep a smile on our faces and a good attitude because we are children of the God who can do all things and He wants to help us achieve our goals.
Whatever you are facing right now is not so big that God can’t help you get through it so please just ask Him for help.
God bless you and your family!
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