The Power of GiGi’s Playhouse

I am a firm believer in the saying “Nothing happens by chance” and I believe that every blessing I have been given in the past 2 years has been a result of the amazing blessing I received when my daughter Nora was born in July 2014. Nora’s birth was a whirlwind and the only thing I can tell you that I distinctly remember is the neonatologist telling my husband Jim and I that Nora most likely had Down syndrome.  Now don’t get me wrong, it was definitely unexpected and I’m sure I had some of the same thoughts and feelings as many of you in this room did. But the thing I didn’t expect, were the amazing things that would happen in my life as a result of Nora’s birth.

After Nora was born, we began to look into resources for her, and we heard about an amazing place called GiGi’s Playhouse that everyone kept saying we had to check out. The first time I walked into GiGi’s (at the Oak Forest location) with my mom, sister, son Benjamin, and Nora I was immediately greeted with a warm and loving hug by the Site Coordinator, Diane. All of the parents that were there greeted us with love and warmth, and I knew that everything was going to be alright. From time to time Diane and I do Outreach together and she always likes to tell people that when we left that day, my mom leaned over to her and said “Thank You for taking a burden off of my daughter’s shoulders” and it was so true, because my first visit to GiGi’s did exactly that. It lifted all the pain and worry away and gave me the ability to confront Down syndrome head on. I knew I was no longer alone. GiGi’s connected us with the most amazing people who became our Community and family.

And our journey continues. I have learned about the possibilities for Nora and I know that regardless of what she does in her life, Down syndrome will not inhibit her from doing anything. I have learned that differences are not weaknesses and my daughter is not Down syndrome, she is my beautiful Nora.

This is the power of GiGi’s Playhouse that everyone who walks through the doors feels. I feel SO blessed and fortunate to be able to witness this every day. I always told Diane this was my dream job, and I am SO lucky to have been given the opportunity to be the Site Coordinator. I truly have the most rewarding and fulfilling job in the world. It really is a life altering experience to see all that GiGi’s does for our families and participants. Although GiGi’s is just a house, it is also Community and that Community has helped all of us become empowered and inspired to be the best version of ourselves.

I didn’t always walk this path, but I am thankful every day for the gift of Nora, because without her, this journey would have never happened.  I feel so fortunate to have been given the opportunity to be her mom, it is the greatest blessing in my life. I thank each and every one of you for this opportunity, thank you for embracing me and my family and thank you for empowering us when we needed it most. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this amazing Community-words cannot express how thankful I am for this.
-Beth Kazmierczak, GiGi’s Playhouse Tinley Park Site Director