October 30th- Aaron and Laura

“Our sweet Aaron is five, and he is the third son of our biological children.  Including my step-son, we have four boys in all.  During our prenatal stage, we found out at about 13 weeks that our baby would most likely have Down syndrome. As a mom, it took me by surprise, and there was a period of time where I adjusted my thoughts in my head about what life would be like not only for us as a family, but also for our little baby.

Looking at it now, currently, life is busy with school, therapies, and the livelihood of brotherly love.  Aaron is no different than his brothers and his peers.  He may need more time and repetition to learn the same skills, but he is completely able to get there.  He loves playing school, dressing up for Halloween, and doing all the same things they do.

An older friend who has the same diagnosis has taught us that Down syndrome is not a ‘disability’…it is just a ‘different ability’.  As a special education teacher of twenty-four years, I love this way of thinking.  How true it is for all who learn differently and all learners in general.  Sometimes, it’s just a matter of perspective.

As with the rest of our children, Aaron brings joy and happiness to our lives, and we know he has a purpose in life just as each and everyone one of us does.”

– Laura, Aaron’s mom

Laura is a charity runner for GiGi’s Playhouse Fox Valley in the Naperville Half Marathon & 5k and we look forward to seeing Aaron at many more programs at GiGi’s Playhouse!