Happy Down syndrome diagnosis day! Yes we said happy.

We are excited to welcome Angela (aka Emery & Levi’s mom) from GiGi’s Playhouse Fort Myers to share a bit of her heart and journey with us today. 

This week we celebrated Emery’s 4th anniversary of his Down syndrome diagnosis day! It may seem strange to some that we celebrate this important day but truthfully this day has changed our family’s path for the better.

The call came in and Evan, my husband, and I ran into our bedroom to lay on the bed with a notepad in hand. The doctor explained that Emery did have Trisomy 21 and proceeded to tell us all of the specialists we would need to follow up with. At this point, we had already cried many tears and we had pretty much accepted this new uncharted territory. A month earlier we had asked at his 4 months well visit if it was possible he had Down syndrome. When the dr said yes, we went home and wept. So after this call, we were ready to take the world on and be the best parents we could be to our perfect little package.

We immediately jumped into action! We researched, called friends and family, and planned his new future the best we could! One way we decided we could help Emery, and other families like ours, was to help start GiGi’s Playhouse Fort Myers. I wanted parents to have a place to celebrate their children and share information, a place where individuals with Down syndrome could learn and grow FREE of charge, and a place that would educate the world about the gift of Down syndrome. The gift most of the world doesn’t see YET!

This life isn’t easy… Emery’s diagnosis comes with challenges that I wouldn’t want anyone to experience. Emery is automatically judged the moment people see his almond-shaped eyes, his communication struggles make it difficult for others to connect with him unless they really want to see his heart, and his future in education will come with lots of hard work from everyone involved.

BUT This is only a small part of who he is… Emery is such a calming soul. He is funny and silly. He loves sandboxes, balls, and cars. Mickey Mouse, Goldie and Bear, and Little Einsteins are his favorite tv shows. He probably knows more sign language than you do, so we say he is bilingual at 4!!! He knows all his colors, letters/sounds, and can do puzzles like a pro! But most importantly he is KIND and GENTLE and LOVING and together we are changing the way Down syndrome is viewed so that the world is a better place for ALL to live.

Thank you, Angela, for sharing today & for helping to make GiGi’s Playhouse Fort Myers so great!