This is a blog post that I wrote less than a month ago. Thought I would share it here with you. My little girl has Down syndrome, a catastrophic seizure disorder, on mulitple medications, a Ketogenic diet to control her seizures. I'll save her picture until the end and then you will realize how shallow some of you on this thread have been.
I was so angry last night when I went to bed that, I could not sleep. I had fights in my head - which I kinda like because I win all of those. Reading our local paper, blogs from around the country and national news makes me want to SCREAM in frustration.
Let me liken it to this. Children are a work of art. ALL children. I have been busy painting both of my children. I have mother’s intuition and the deep selfless love for my children that is required.
My son came with his own paint set and it was typical. 46 colors, some brighter and some I had to add water to and some he has not used yet.
My daughter - well she came with one more color. She came with 47. I had to learn how to work with that 47 th color so that she will have a full and productive life. The rest of the world judges her extra beautiful color in different ways. Some see it as a “defect” some see it as an enhancement. The people that I surround my studio with see it as just a part of who she is.
You have to know and feel love to be able to truly see the 47 th color as it should be seen. And because of my age I did indeed have genetic testing. CVS - which is accurate 99.99% of the time was WRONG. We are in the text books. We are the couple spoken of at medical conferences. We are your .02%
You dare walk by MY gallery and judge my painting? You are a drive-by observer who has NO idea about my canvas, style of art or love. Put down your poison pens and just leave those of us with the 47 th color, along with those who can truly see the beauty of our art, alone to work. You (and you know who YOU are) take the time to reduce a child, a son/daughter, grandchild, sibling, niece, nephew, cousin, loved and cherished member of a community down to an extra chromosome?? A Down’s child. A Down’s syndrome baby. Her Down’s kid. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?? AAGGGHHHHH
In effect, you have reduced a HUMAN BEING down to a tiny extra piece of DNA, which is exactly why over 90% of babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. You are liars. You are uneducated. You are haters. You have no idea how to paint. You can’t even begin to know how to see the 47 th color.
To reduce my child down to her extra chromosome begins a slippery slope that leads directly to Nazi Germany. Remember that leader? Yeah he could not see many colors even in the traditional 46-paint set. We know where that led.
She is a little girl. She is a daughter. She has a name. She is a human being. I have educated you on people first language. Now go away and leave me alone, I am painting.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d145/Larkin05/DSC_6269.jpg
