More alike than different

Leighton is a girl. A daughter. A sister. A granddaughter. A great-granddaughter. A cousin. A friend. A niece.

She is vibrant. She is happy. She has bad days and better days. She likes her iPad. She loves Elmo. She enjoys music. She loves books. She eats chicken fingers and Oreos. 

She has more abilities than disabilities. She has superpowers. She can turn the coldest heart warm and meet every stranger in a building. She loves unconditionally. She dances like no one is watching. 

She is sweet. She is kind. She is pure joy. She can also be manipulative and hateful. She has sad times and down times. 

My point, is that she's more alike anyone else than she is different. The things that Lb has that many of us don't, are labels and constraints from the world and our society telling her she can't or that "they" shouldn't exist. 

We are all snowflakes. No two are the same. But yet our society labels everyone around us, good or bad.

My goal for Down Syndrome Awareness Month was to show people that Lb is just another wonderful little girl that anyone would be lucky to know. My goal was to share our story and let those moms, that just got a diagnosis, know that there is more to fear unrelated to Down syndrome than with it. 

Keep calm, it's just an extra chromosome! 

Until next time...

Shona