31 for 21: Day 16 Guest Post: This Child Is NOT a BURDEN!!!

my friend laima is guest blogging today....her beautiful daughter delia and wyatt would be great friends if only we lived closer!   i have developed a friendship with laima as we journeyed through open heart surgery and other life "stuff" together!  she is an awesome mama, is very wise, and offers great encouragement to me and many other parents in our online Ds community....enjoy!

This is Delia, a little 2 year old with Down syndrome, doing what a 2 year old does. All the same things as her peers from preschool. Yes, we are more involved in helping her reach her milestones; yes, there are delays; yes, we see many more doctors than we did with Kiera; yes, there are no guarantees about her future.



While I haven't done a pure cost analysis between Kiera and Delia, I'm guessing that we probably spend more for things regarding therapies and doctor visits. But you can't measure her life based on a cost analysis or the time we spend helping her learn things that other kids pick up on their own. You can't value her life less because she may not be completely independent as an adult. But, to many, those things make Delia a "burden".

Delia is not a burden; Delia is my life. She gives back to us in so many ways. She's a beautiful child with a bright future - even if it is uncertain. Her family loves her; her sister adores her. We're not blinded to reality - we live it every day. She's still only 2 and there are many years to go - we'll prepare as much as we can and deal with what comes. If I had to boil it down to one word, I'd call her a "blessing" - definitely not a "burden".

I am the 97% :) ......  [laima is referring to a recent article "Parents of Children With Down Syndrome Happy and Proud"!]