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Down Syndrome Indiana
2625 N. Meridian Street #49
Indianapolis, IN 46208
Gifts: Mothers Reflect on How Children with Down Syndrome Enriched Their Lives
Edited by Kathryn Lynard Soper
Foreword by Martha Sears, RN
Down Syndrome Indiana provides this book to new parents who have recieved a new parent packet and have completed and returned the information request card provided in the packet. It is an award winning book that contains 62 stories written by mothers about their experiences as a parent of an individual with Down syndrome.
Here are a few excerpts from the book written by members of Down Syndrome Indiana.
It’s Better than Good
by Janine Steck Huffman
I silently count the number of syllables he has just spoken, smile in amazement at the clarity of each letter, and laugh at the wonderful sense of humor our son has. I quietly thank our speech therapist for giving us the tools to guide Nash to this step in language, and drive onward. When Nash was two, I would have given the world to hear any clear words from him. Now that he’s five, I sometimes wonder if he will ever be quiet!
Full text: Chapter 8, page 36
Expecting
by Peggy Cooper-Smith
The doctor spoke the words into my husband’s ears—those words that, once told to me, made me feel as though my child would never be good enough, would be thought of as an embarrassment, would never be worthy. How utterly disappointing, miserable, and embarrassing it is that I almost agreed with those thoughts. I quickly redeemed myself the moment I held him, looked into his deep blue eyes, and silently promised that I would always take care of him. I knew he was mine forever.
Full text: Chapter 34, page 141
If you are a new parent interested in recieving a copy of Gifts, and have not yet received a parent packet you can request one here.
Gifts Volume II: Acceptance, Courage, Friendship, Awareness, and Joy
A second edition of Gifts will soon be available. It also features several authors from Indiana. More details about this book will be provided soon.
The Year My Son and I Were Born
Kathryn Lynard Soper has recently published a memoir entitled "The Year My Son and I Were Born". The book can be purchased here.
It has been described as:
“Kathryn Soper’s The Year My Son and I Were Born is a story of how sometimes life’s lessons come at great personal cost—but that if we allow our hearts to open, even a mother’s deepest despair can be transformed.”
—Jennifer Graf Groneberg, author of Road Map to Holland: How I Found My Way Through My Son’s First Two Years with Down Syndrome
