This Little Girl is Going to Change People

I can still remember the certainty in Pastor Kevin’s voice when he looked down at our tiny infant daughter in church one Sunday morning and declared, “This little girl is going to change people.” Pastor Kevin was right!

Our daughter Bella has a new pink bike with white training wheels & a personalized nameplate. She has friends who ring our doorbell daily & ask her to play “house” or Barbies. She has an Olympic gold medal that hangs from her bedroom door. She’s got a big sister who gives her fashion tips & a little brother who loves to torture her. Bella even has a sparkly crown, a 3-foot trophy, and a sash that declares her “2012 Junior Miss You Can Do It.” Oh, and Bella has Down syndrome.

When Isabella Grace was born 11 years ago, my husband & I were crippled with the fear that our lives would never look like those of our friends and loved ones.  We knew nothing about Down syndrome & didn’t know a single family who had a child with the same diagnosis.  Our comfy little world was rocked to its core, and we were visibly shaken.

It’s hard to believe, then, that when asked to describe our child with just one word, the word that comes to mind is “joy.” Bella is one of those people in this world who just has it—that indescribable quality that draws people to her & makes them want to know her more. She has more friends than I do—kids, adults, college students, senior citizens—and she has an uncanny ability to remember names. She radiates charisma & warmth and our community has embraced her as one of its most special members. In fact, when she & a friend left town to participate in the Special Olympics last spring, 600(ish) students, teachers & staff members lined her school walls and, equipped with signs, banners, and pompoms, cheered her on to victory. It is one of my most treasured memories because it exemplified human goodness, kindness, acceptance, & love.

Certainly, the road has not always been easy. Bella has had to endure numerous operations including major heart surgery when she was five months old. As a toddler, she would incessantly run away, pull hair, put things in her mouth & dump out the contents of other peoples’ purses. We have faced rejection, frustration, & difficult decisions. Hundreds of hours have been spent in waiting rooms passing time until it was our turn to see the heart doctor, eye doctor, ENT doctor, speech therapists…the list goes on & on.  Yes, raising a child with Down syndrome is full of joys & heartache.  But then again, the same is true of raising any child. The mountaintops and valleys are just different.

Our family is better for having Bella in it. She makes us laugh & she makes us think.  We have met people, attended events, & learned things we never would have without her. She’s not just changed what we do or how we feel, she’s changed who we are. So Pastor Kevin was right.  Bella has changed people.  She still is.  She started with us.  -Jennifer, Bella’s Mom