Lost in thought....

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Originally uploaded by annikaleigh.

"Down syndrome does not discriminate on the basis or race, religion, national origin, socio-economic
level, geo-political boundaries, height, weight, eye color, hair color, or damn near anything else except "advanced maternal age." a quote from the DSListserv.

What is Down syndrome/Trisomy 21? Technically it is an extra chromosome on the 21st pair..................reality, it is.......It just is.....It just is a variation of humanity. Not more, not less,,,,just a variation.

I've been asking this question to people I know that have children with Down syndrome, and/or those who know someone in their life with Down syndrome.

Why have I been asking this question? Because it seems to me that the general population really doesn't have a clue when you read articles from expecting mothers in National publications treating the prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome as if it were the plague........something so horrific that the only 'cure' is to terminate the pregnancy.

People with Down syndrome are just that....people. They happen to have an extra chromosome on their 21st pair of chromosomes. This causes some common traits amongst people with Down syndrome, but it is not all encompassing and each person with Down syndrome is as unique of a human being as any of us are.

They look and act more like their families than they would look or act like another non-family member with Down syndrome.

I share my life with my daughter with the world as to help shed light to what it truly means to have Down syndrome.

Emma Sage is unique and as diverse as her siblings are, or as her friends are.

Each of us brings to this world our own special gifts........each of us has our own destiny to fulfill.......our own dreams to dream and achieve,,,,people with Down syndrome are no different than any of us in this regard.