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Nancy Flanders
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Human Interest·By Nancy Flanders
'A testament to God': Parents discuss life raising two daughters with Down syndrome
An Instagram post shared by "Made with Love: The Movie" and "Happiness is Down Syndrome" recently shared the story of Joseph and Laura, the parents of four daughters — two of whom have Down syndrome.
A documentary from "Stories Made With Love" highlighted Joseph, his wife Laura, and their four daughters, two of whom have Down syndrome.
Joseph said his children helped him stay sober and put life in perspective.
At the hospital, when their daughter Gianna was diagnosed at birth with Down syndrome, hospital staff prepared paperwork to place her for adoption without the consent of Joseph and Laura.
Joseph feels that he was meant to live this life.
The Instagram clip is part of a documentary by Stories Made With Love, which also started a GoFundMe account for Joseph and his family.
"My name is Joseph and my family has four kids," he said. "All girls. And two of our children have Down syndrome. One is almost two and the other is almost five. We are also a low income family." He added, "We just wanna show our message and our story and advocate for children with Down [syndrome], [and] for anybody else in our situation, to let them know everything is OK and love conquers all."
He said that 'lighting struck twice in the same spot,' referring to the fact that they conceived two biological daughters with Down syndrome.
"I guess I should play the lottery or something, you know, because it did."
Joseph explained of the birth of Divina, his second daughter with Down syndrome, "When she came out with Down syndrome, I was prepared but I was still scared. I said, 'Oh my gosh, like, our life is never going to be the same. It already wasn't, you know, we're in this for life. Our kids are with us forever and we have two other daughters too."
He said his family is considered low-income in California. "You know we don't have the most at all, but what I don't have in money, I have in love."
Joseph's wife, Laura, shared that when she had her daughter, Gianna, who has Down syndrome, she was "happy" with her baby but the hospital prepared paperwork to place the baby girl for adoption without the consent of her parents.
As a teen, she had helped her friend care for her daughter who had Down syndrome who "everyone loved" and who "had so much energy" and was "so happy." She was once asked if she would want a daughter who had Down syndrome and she said, "Why not?"
Then, she did; she had two daughters of her own with Down syndrome. She shared:
"Out of nowhere, [the hospital staff] were like, 'Oh so you're putting your baby for adoption.'
I'm like, 'No, I'm not.' They had paperwork. They were like, 'Here's the paperwork.' I said, 'I didn't ask for paperwork; nobody asked me about it. And no, you're not taking my baby. Just please don't. That's not gonna happen.'
I never doubted it once. I said, 'I'm having this baby and I'm learning all about it... She's gonna have a good life and she's gonna be healthy and I'm gonna do everything.'"
Joseph admitted that he cried when he learned Gianna had Down syndrome because he felt like "something was out of my control."
He was scared. He didn't have a father present for him growing up, and he wanted to be there for his family.
Within a couple of days, he was researching to learn about Down syndrome, and found out about other families of children with Down syndrome and saw how they were overcoming their challenges. He knew then that he could do it too.
About three years later, they welcomed Divina, who also has Down syndrome.
Joseph recalled:
"I'm not gonna run from stuff. I never ran from anything in my life... I'm standing ten toes down. I'm gonna love these kids and I'm gonna take care of them and give them my all.
I feel like this is my life story and I was meant to live this to show other people that they can do this and be a testament to God... show them with that with will, with strength, that anything is possible."
Joseph had dealt with addiction since his teenage years, and he said having Gianna solidified his sobriety. He said his daughters have helped him keep his priorities straight:
"Life can be hard, especially when the finances are not correct, but when you have love and you have a brain and hard work ethic, I promise you, and God, stuff will figure itself out in the craziest ways.
I've been so many times in life where we've probably had no diapers you know, been short on bills, car payments and stuff like that but by the grace of God, extra work hours came in or we've gotten help from a Church.... They want to help people."
He added that the local pregnancy center has also been "very helpful" to his family.
There are programs out there to help, but, he said, you have to be willing to work and give 110%. He wants parents facing a child's diagnosis to know that they can raise them... and that not raising those babies would mean missing out.
He said, "I'm not a superhero. I'm not extraordinary. I'm just a father. ... I'm a girl dad, that's my life, you know...."
As for Laura, she believes God sent them their children and He knows exactly why. "They deserve love and peace and happiness."
Children with Down syndrome are not mistakes to be aborted and tossed in a medical waste bin; yet, society has come to expect that this should be their fate. Every child deserves to be loved and welcomed for exactly who they are.
Watch the full documentary here, and give here to support the family.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Nancy Flanders
·
Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·
Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·
Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·
Human Interest
Isabella Childs
·
Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·
Activism
Nancy Flanders
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Politics
Nancy Flanders
·
Politics
Nancy Flanders
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Nancy Flanders
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Investigative
Nancy Flanders
·Human Interest·By Nancy Flanders
'A testament to God': Parents discuss life raising two daughters with Down syndrome
An Instagram post shared by "Made with Love: The Movie" and "Happiness is Down Syndrome" recently shared the story of Joseph and Laura, the parents of four daughters — two of whom have Down syndrome.
A documentary from "Stories Made With Love" highlighted Joseph, his wife Laura, and their four daughters, two of whom have Down syndrome.
Joseph said his children helped him stay sober and put life in perspective.
At the hospital, when their daughter Gianna was diagnosed at birth with Down syndrome, hospital staff prepared paperwork to place her for adoption without the consent of Joseph and Laura.
Joseph feels that he was meant to live this life.
The Instagram clip is part of a documentary by Stories Made With Love, which also started a GoFundMe account for Joseph and his family.
"My name is Joseph and my family has four kids," he said. "All girls. And two of our children have Down syndrome. One is almost two and the other is almost five. We are also a low income family." He added, "We just wanna show our message and our story and advocate for children with Down [syndrome], [and] for anybody else in our situation, to let them know everything is OK and love conquers all."
He said that 'lighting struck twice in the same spot,' referring to the fact that they conceived two biological daughters with Down syndrome.
"I guess I should play the lottery or something, you know, because it did."
Joseph explained of the birth of Divina, his second daughter with Down syndrome, "When she came out with Down syndrome, I was prepared but I was still scared. I said, 'Oh my gosh, like, our life is never going to be the same. It already wasn't, you know, we're in this for life. Our kids are with us forever and we have two other daughters too."
He said his family is considered low-income in California. "You know we don't have the most at all, but what I don't have in money, I have in love."
Joseph's wife, Laura, shared that when she had her daughter, Gianna, who has Down syndrome, she was "happy" with her baby but the hospital prepared paperwork to place the baby girl for adoption without the consent of her parents.
As a teen, she had helped her friend care for her daughter who had Down syndrome who "everyone loved" and who "had so much energy" and was "so happy." She was once asked if she would want a daughter who had Down syndrome and she said, "Why not?"
Then, she did; she had two daughters of her own with Down syndrome. She shared:
"Out of nowhere, [the hospital staff] were like, 'Oh so you're putting your baby for adoption.'
I'm like, 'No, I'm not.' They had paperwork. They were like, 'Here's the paperwork.' I said, 'I didn't ask for paperwork; nobody asked me about it. And no, you're not taking my baby. Just please don't. That's not gonna happen.'
I never doubted it once. I said, 'I'm having this baby and I'm learning all about it... She's gonna have a good life and she's gonna be healthy and I'm gonna do everything.'"
Joseph admitted that he cried when he learned Gianna had Down syndrome because he felt like "something was out of my control."
He was scared. He didn't have a father present for him growing up, and he wanted to be there for his family.
Within a couple of days, he was researching to learn about Down syndrome, and found out about other families of children with Down syndrome and saw how they were overcoming their challenges. He knew then that he could do it too.
About three years later, they welcomed Divina, who also has Down syndrome.
Joseph recalled:
"I'm not gonna run from stuff. I never ran from anything in my life... I'm standing ten toes down. I'm gonna love these kids and I'm gonna take care of them and give them my all.
I feel like this is my life story and I was meant to live this to show other people that they can do this and be a testament to God... show them with that with will, with strength, that anything is possible."
Joseph had dealt with addiction since his teenage years, and he said having Gianna solidified his sobriety. He said his daughters have helped him keep his priorities straight:
"Life can be hard, especially when the finances are not correct, but when you have love and you have a brain and hard work ethic, I promise you, and God, stuff will figure itself out in the craziest ways.
I've been so many times in life where we've probably had no diapers you know, been short on bills, car payments and stuff like that but by the grace of God, extra work hours came in or we've gotten help from a Church.... They want to help people."
He added that the local pregnancy center has also been "very helpful" to his family.
There are programs out there to help, but, he said, you have to be willing to work and give 110%. He wants parents facing a child's diagnosis to know that they can raise them... and that not raising those babies would mean missing out.
He said, "I'm not a superhero. I'm not extraordinary. I'm just a father. ... I'm a girl dad, that's my life, you know...."
As for Laura, she believes God sent them their children and He knows exactly why. "They deserve love and peace and happiness."
Children with Down syndrome are not mistakes to be aborted and tossed in a medical waste bin; yet, society has come to expect that this should be their fate. Every child deserves to be loved and welcomed for exactly who they are.
Watch the full documentary here, and give here to support the family.
Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.
Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.
Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.
Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!
Nancy Flanders
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·Human Interest
Isabella Childs
·Human Interest
Bridget Sielicki
·Activism
Nancy Flanders
·Politics
Nancy Flanders
·Politics
Nancy Flanders
·Politics
Nancy Flanders
·Investigative
Nancy Flanders
·