Raising a child with Down syndrome is not easy. When there are two of them, it becomes even more an act of courage. And of great love.
Down twins and the decision of a couple in difficulty
Julie and Dan are husband and wife.
A happy couple with their son and three children from their first marriage.
At a certain point in their lives, they began to feel the desire to have a daughter as well, and so they decided to try their luck.
When Julie found out she was pregnant, the joy was overwhelming, even once they were told they were not having a girl but twin boys .
News that shocked the couple. But it was the next one that upset them much more.
Since the risks associated with pregnancy are quite high after the age of 40, doctors advised the mother to undergo some routine tests.
And special attention was paid to the test on the possibility of having children with Down syndrome.
This test, unfortunately, turned out to be positive.
It was a devastating discovery for the couple. They found themselves incredulous, lost and, above all, consciously unprepared to raise two children with this pathology. Two children in need of different care and precautions.
Hence the difficult initial decision to give the children up for adoption. A choice criticized by many and that none of the people around them had shared.
Because these two children needed their mother. At first, a relative of the couple stepped forward and made himself available to take them.
But after a while, he changed his mind.
So Julie and Dan decided to find out about Down syndrome. About its characteristics, about its needs and about the kind of life that derives from it.
Fundamental details that allowed them not only to better understand the situation, but also to accept it. And to move forward. But together. So they decided to keep the twins and raise them exactly as they did the others.
With all the love possible. Today they are a happy family, despite the difficulties that obviously exist. However, it really seems that will and affection triumph where reason (sometimes) fails.
