#wdsd2015

There are a group of parents who question why we celebrate World Down Syndrome Day. So, here is why I celebrate WDSD. This is why I celebrate Down syndrome PERIOD.

If we were living in well any year pre-dating 1951 most people with Down syndrome would be living in institutions for life. Now, instead of coercing parents to send their child away you find doctors coercing parents to terminate a pregnancy that has been diagnosed with Down syndrome. As if that is any different? 

We have come a long way as a community but we are not finished. I fully believe that it is a woman’s right to own her body. I do not believe a woman should be given bias information. If we don’t take the time out to recognize our children and their accomplishments then how will parents, who are in the shoes i was in two years ago, know that there is a life after a Down syndrome diagnosis. The abortion statistics are so high because wrong information is given out. Fear and ignorance dictate what doctors tell parents their child will probably never do. My daughter walks. My daughter feeds herself, it is messy but she can do it. Addison is only 20 months old and she can do so much more and will do so much more. Where are these statistics when doctors are striking fear into the hearts of parents who want nothing but the best for their child. There are doctors who say abortion is the best option because there is no quality of life for that child. 

We also have to think about it’s not just our kids with Down syndrome we are celebrating. We are celebrating those who fought before us and their children. We work hard for our kids. Sometimes we work so hard we want to give up because we feel like its going no where. There were people before us who fought tooth and nail to make these services available. People who put their everything into giving their child a better life. They didn’t have Early Intervention. They didn’t have feeding therapy. Infants with disabilities didn’t have one on one paraprofessionals. They made this all possible. Our struggles have been made easier because the generations before us gave a dam to fight for it. They deserve our respect. Their children deserve to be celebrated because without their existence in this world, we would not be where we are. We would be in the dark ages of acceptance. 

On World Down Syndrome Day and every other day, I do not just celebrate my wild bundle of engery. I celebrate the generations that came before us and the generations that will come after us. One day there will be complete and total acceptance. That will be the day I can say we are where we need to be. Like I’ve said, we have come a long way from institutionalization but our mission is not complete. The world needs to know that our normal is the same as theirs.

This little face is what started my journey.

Her drive to do amazing things is my reason to fight for her.

My little girl does amazing things and I want the world to know.

Plus, she is a total ham who is always willing to strike a pose for the camera.

Comics need me.

That sounds terribly presumptuous, doesn’t it? Before you judge, hear me out.

Almost five years ago, I was little more than a fan of comics. Sure, I’d been writing reviews, doing the occasional interview here and there. Writing comics? If you asked me about that then, my right eyebrow would have raised into a tiny mountain followed by a spew of coffee and a garbled “NO”. I honestly had never thought about it, and there was this tiny event on the horizon involving the birth of my son. Multiple sonograms had told us he had a good chance of having Down syndrome and heart defects, so my brain was a little preoccupied.

The first year of my son’s life was full of surgeries, multiple near death experiences and uncertainty galore. It wasn’t until the success of his last major heart surgery that I could think, let alone breathe again. It was in that moment, breaking the surface for a bit of air, that my love for comics came rushing back. Except the difference now was that I was looking at comics through the lens of my son. 

What comic books are out there for him? 

I scoured the internet, looking for comics that incorporated characters with Down syndrome. As time went on, and nothing to show for my troubles, I got upset. Juxtaposed to the “real world” comic books are supposed to be a place of acceptance, of inclusion. But, for my son, comics would be just another place where he felt alone, left out, passed over. If I was lucky enough to share my love for comics with my son one day, how would I respond to his asking why none of the characters look like him? Why was there no stories about how amazing people with Down syndrome are? Which would lead me to this... 

Why didn’t I do something about it?

That’s what drove me into writing comics. It’s something too important to leave up to the comic book industry. I mean, the industry is still struggling to figure out how to include women in their stories without exploding, there’s no way I’m waiting for it to figure out how to include people with Down syndrome. This is my son we’re talking about. That’s why it’s up to me. The guy who was overjoyed he didn’t have to take creative writing to finish his college degree. It was up to me to create a comic book for my son. That’s why comics need me.

Unhappy with the state of comic books? Are there no comics out there for you? Go make comics. Or, seek out and support the creators that ARE trying to make comics for you.

Comics need you.