Our daughter, Sara, 4 1/2 years old, has Down Syndrome. Raising her, so far, has been one of our greatest challenges and greatest joys, all at the same time.

When we discovered that I was pregnant with a Down Syndrome child, it was recommended by the hospital that we should strongly consider terminating the pregnancy. We made it clear that this child was wanted and loved just the way she is. Sara was born with a heart defect which led to congestive heart failure at 2 months. At three months she underwent open heart surgery, and had a rather rocky recovery. She was finally discharged from the hospital at 4 months old, but remained on much medication, and had a nasal-gastric feeding tube until she was 8 months old.

Since then, Sara has done nothing short of astound us with her persistence and determination in everything she does. She is bright, bubbly, and funny, with a serious streak of shyness.

She has been attending a reverse mainstream classroom, 5 typical kids and 5 special needs kids, for the past year. (Of course she was in early intervention for 2 1/2 years prior to that.) Sara has done so well in school, that she constantly surprises her teachers. At our last meeting this school year, her teacher said to me, with a look of surprise on her face, "She knows all her colors and all the shapes too, even the oval." To which I wanted to respond with a list of all Sara's other accomplishments, but I refrained from that.

I guess I'm saying that we've come such a long way so far, and I am so proud of this little girl that the hospital felt should not be given the chance to live. We can all learn a great deal from the special ones like Sara.

Update:

My, how time flies! Sara is now 8 years old. She has been in a mainstream classroom from Kindergarten, until now, 2nd grade. And she's doing great! She continues to have a classroom aide, but has succeeded remarkably well, following the same curriculum as all the other kids with only minor adjustments.

And the funny thing too, is that most of the challenges we felt in the past have faded into ordinary child-raising. Sara is truly just like any other kid, with her own variations!

And now 4 years later, Sara is excited about being a pre-teen! At 12 years old, I decided to homeschool her rather that send her on to the middle school, not because she could not succeed, but because I wanted the best environment for her to learn in an unthreatening situation. She continues to shine, with a sweet personality and truly funny sense of humor, she brightens every day!

As Sara continues to blossom and mature, I have had to return to work and she has re-entered the public school system. It was one of the hardest things I've had to do, but has worked out very well! Sara is very happy in the school, which is a testament to the quality of the staff and her indomitable spirit!