Celebrating For The First Time

Guest Blog by Abby Green

October. For my entire life it has been about colors blooming, the sound of a leaf crunching below my feet, temperatures cooling off. It’s been about change. And now October has a whole new meaning but change is still front and center.

This is our first time celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Month. I would have liked to add “since Owen came into this world” but to be honest, we have never celebrated this before. Before we got our diagnosis, we had no idea that a month dedicated to making our world more aware of Down syndrome even existed. Maybe it was because I didn’t grow up around people with special needs but now I’m determined to make those around me more accepting of this diagnosis and what it means for people like our Owen. The world deserves to not be left in the dark on something so enriching.

Although October has always been about the change of seasons, now it’s about a lot more. It’s about changing the hearts of people to open up to those who are different than they are. It’s about changing our perspective on how scary and ugly a diagnosis can be. It’s about changing the way we talk and act and feel about those living with Down syndrome. It’s about changing our world to be a more inclusive place.

As I sit here with our 6 week old resting on my chest, I am filled with gratitude. The love I have for this sweet boy and how much he has already changed our lives for the better is instramontable. It has been six months since we received our diagnosis and it’s incredible to see how far we’ve come, how much we’ve learned, and all the opportunities and resources like GiGi’s that the world has given to us in this short time.

This is a thankfulness that I cannot put into words but we will spend our life sharing.