Have you seen Born This Way on A&E? When I heard last fall that A&E was premiering a docu-series, Born This Way, about seven young adults with Down syndrome, I was excited, nervous, and hopeful. Although most people are already “aware” of Down syndrome, understanding of it falls near one of two ends of a spectrum: the… Read More
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The End of One Thing…And the Start of Something Bigger
Sarah Kate was a bit hesitant to return to swim team last summer, but once back her old passion was reignited – so much so that she chose to swim with the high school team as a seventh grader. Once the season ended in November, though, she didn’t swim (or much of anything else active),… Read More
Insta-Update: Midsummer
Yesterday marked the official midpoint of our summer. With six weeks down and six weeks left to go, I feel like we’ve finally hit our groove with the different rhythm that summer brings – isn’t that always the way of it? Nathan has settled down and is learning how to have unstructured days, Sarah Kate has found ways… Read More
What I Learned About Suffering on a Disney Cruise
Last year Sarah Kate was given a Disney cruise by Magic Moments, an organization that grants “wishes” to Alabama children with chronic or life-threatening medical conditions. She got a few extra perks onboard the ship, like small gifts left in her room daily and a private reception with Mickey Mouse for all the “wish kids” and their… Read More
My Son Became a VBS Dropout. Twice.
Pope Francis said in his homily last weekend, “The way we experience illness and disability is an index of the love we are ready to offer,” and we saw that firsthand when Sarah Kate was young. Some people were attracted to her energy and determination, and it showed in the way they interacted with her… Read More
The Over-the-Top Swim Mom Was Me
A couple of weeks ago, my Timehop app showed me what happened six years ago – Sarah Kate’s very first swim meet. We watched the video of her swimming the 25 yard backstroke as a family, and Mr. Andi’s description of it was spot on. It looked like controlled drowning. Fast forward six years and the difference… Read More