October 24th- Chloe and Julie

“There is a phrase well known to families in the Down syndrome community, ‘The Lucky Few’.  It’s something only parents and close loved ones can truly understand.  I recall when we got our prenatal diagnosis, we thought our world was falling apart.  During this time, I was given a book where parents of children with Down syndrome shared stories and feelings of overwhelming love and joy for their children with the diagnosis, stating they wouldn’t change a thing about them.  I couldn’t, at the time, comprehend how something most parents feared could happen could be viewed so positively.

And then Chloe arrived.  And she challenged us.  She made us slow down. She made us see the important things in life.  She gave us patience. She made us laugh.  Boy, did she make us laugh.  She made strangers smile anywhere she went, because nobody was a stranger to her.  She grew our community.  She continues to do all these things every day.  Our family really is blessed by the gift of our beautiful child with Down syndrome.

Down syndrome is such a small part of Chloe.  She dances, she can run like the wind, and she loves to participate in extreme sports.  You can catch her indoor skydiving, climbing a rock wall, tubing on a lake, climbing 30 ft high in a tree-top adventure course or scaling a warped wall just like an American Ninja Warrior.

She keeps us on our toes for sure – no different than our typical child.  They are both equally amazing and we’re blessed to have two beautiful perfect daughters.  We really are the lucky few!”

– Julie, mom to Chloe

Chloe loves participating in Dance at GiGi’s Playhouse Fox Valley