Making an impact

There's no doubt that Luke has had an enormous impact on my life, but what moves me even more is when I hear how his presence has affected others.

My 5th grade triplet nieces and nephew were visiting us this past Thanksgiving and observed our physical therapist during a session with Luke.  They all watched intently and asked lots of questions.  The impact that one hour had on them, especially Lindsay, is evident in the following paper she wrote recently for school when asked, "Do you have a career in mind?"

My Career

By Lindsay Freeman

I want to be an occupational therapist.  I want to work with children that have Down's syndrome.  I've wanted to work with these children because I have a little cousin that I take great care of.  These children are so sweet and adorable.  It would be a great honor to me if I could get that child to do something it wasn't able to do before, that means I have accomplished an immense goal!  I want to make these children feel good about themselves, and fit in as good as possible, but they should fit in fine because if you have a disability it doesn't mean you're different in any way.  I want to work also on their physical movement.  My goal for children with Down's syndrome that have low muscle tone is to move their bodies in the correct ways so they don't develop problems such as bad posture, which causes low muscle tone.  I want to go to school and learn about helping kids born with Down's syndrome.  I want to help kids from all over the world!  It will make families happy to see their children do something they thought they would never be able to do!  It will also make me feel even more happy that I helped a child learn and that that child didn't give up on his or her self and even me.  Even at their young ages they dreamed big in their selves and still are for their future!

I was absolutely amazed when my sister called to read this to me.  Lindsay's teacher just asked them to sit at the computer and write about their future goals.  I truly believe Lindsay will one day work with children like Luke, and play an important role in making their lives better.  

And Luke's presence is making an impact on others as well...

This weekend my brother-in-law and sister-in-law will hold their first garage sale to benefit the National Association for Down Syndrome.  All proceeds from the sale will go directly to NADS, with Nick and Val matching total donations dollar for dollar.  They will be giving various prizes throughout the garage sale, including one for most generous donation.  

And when my sister gets married next weekend, in lieu of favors, she and her fiance will be making a very generous donation to Gigi's Playhouse (Down Syndrome Awareness Centers) on behalf of all of their wedding guests.

These contributions will go far in making a difference in the lives of so many children and adults with Down syndrome.  Pete and I are both proud and thankful for the time and generosity of our families and others who have been affected positively by Luke's birth.  Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!