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And now for something completely different
For once I am not going to talk about TYPO3. Today (March 21) is the third World Down Syndrome Day. As with other "world days", the aim is to raise awareness about this condition. As a parent of a Down Syndrome child, it is a special day for me.
Romain, 3 year old, with Down Syndrome. Funny and all-around cute guy.
On February 21, 2005, our second child was born. I'll skip over the gory details, but the whole pregnancy was difficult, the birth happened in emergency and it wasn't even sure in the first 24 hours if our child was going to live or not. When the storm subsided the doctors arrived with the news that our child had an extra chromosome 21, a condition known as trisomy 21 or Down Syndrome.
We all have our dreams and hopes, even if they are not big ones, for ourselves and for our children. When a handicapped child suddenly enters your life it feels like your world is shattering. Your hopes and dreams are dashed, you wonder what your future will be and you can't avoid the anguished question: "Why me?"
As time passes we started getting used to the situation. We learned to love our second child just like the first one. We entered the world of handicap and discovered many wonderful people: brave parents, devoted professionals, dedicated lobbyists and simply plain humane individuals ready to help and assist. Obviously we also discovered the hassles of insurances, uncountable visits to doctors and therapists and the occasional discouragement when it seems that Romain is not making progress.
Life is a dangerous proposal. As Murphy would have it "Things happen". You never know when some sort of trouble may happen. But life is also wonderful. Happy moments, beautiful landscapes, nice friends and (for the geek in you) a clever piece of code. A major upset can break you but it can also help you see things more clearly, detach yourself from many of the tiny worries that pester you daily and enjoy the small moments of joy that are unfortunately easy to miss when you're not paying attention.
So here's to life, here's to being reborn after tough times, here's to sharing when in need. And if you are currently in dark times yourself, keep hope, there's always light at the end of the tunnel.
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Something completely different (again) - 30.08.2010 22:28
comments
March 21, 2008
15:38
As we sing here at Québec's birthday:
"Mon cher Romain c'est à ton tour de te laisser parler d'amour."
See wikipedia for the origin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gens_du_pays
Thanks Francois for sharing this.
March 23, 2008
21:26
Thanks for sharing Francois.
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Me, my wife and our two children are working with handicapped people in our freetime, and they are a gift for all of us.
I don't know, if people from handicapped childs are ment to have a child with handicaps, but i found out, that i can learn so many things from them. It is really wonderful to learn to see the world with their eyes, with their joy, with their passion.
I surely can't imagine, how it is to have a handicaped child - but they are so important for our world, for our whole community!
There are so many scared parents too, and so many people who can't imagine, that living with a handicaped person can be just wonderful.
Thank you, Francois, for your personal and encouraging post!
All the best to you and your family,
Stefan.