Posts tagged Friendship
44. Shifting the Diagnosis Narrative w/Carissa Carroll from Jack's Basket

Last month, we went to DSDN’s Rockin’ Mom Retreat in Nashville, Tennessee and partied with over 700 moms who have kiddos with Down Syndrome. And we even sat down to interview a few.. including Carissa Carroll, the founder and president of Jack’s Basket! This mother of three children (one of whom rocks an extra chromosome!) learned the hard way that a Down Syndrome diagnosis is not often met with a “Congratulations!” And so, she took matters into her own hands and created Jack’s Basket, a nonprofit organization that hand delivers complimentary gift baskets to families with a new DS diagnosis. Not only has Carissa changed the diagnosis experience for over 1,700 families in 11 different countries, she has developed educational resources for the medical professionals delivering the diagnosis. 

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43. Back to School & All Things Best Buddies w/Val Schlieder & Allison Covell

We’re all hoping for great friends for our kiddos, right? And as parents of kids with Down Syndrome, we might be hoping for those great friends even more than most. That’s why we are so excited to talk to you all about Best Buddies, an international non-profit organization that focuses on creating meaningful, one on one, friendships between students with and without different abilities. Here today to tell us all about the program and share their amazing friendship story is (our co-producer) Val Schlieder & Allison Covell. Starting out as high schoolers in the program and then eventually going on to co-launch their own college group, both ladies have been involved with Best Buddies for nearly 10 years! So friends, join us as we answer your questions about all things inclusive friendship and Best Buddies! How can parents of kids without different abilities encourage their children to have inclusive friendships? How can we make sure students value friendships with their peers who have different abilities? And, how can you join or start a Best Buddies program at your school?

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34. Our Response to the East Family's Negative Down Syndrome Diagnosis

With all the chatter surrounding the recent videos from Shawn and Andrew East and their negative Down Syndrome diagnosis, we thought it best to chime in (with grace and compassion, we might add!).  The East’s have been extremely (and admirably!) open about their pregnancy journey thus far, but controversy arose when they shared what the media deemed “disappointing news” that their baby had markers for Down Syndrome, in their video, “pregnancy complications | the east family.”  Their next video titled, “answered prayers. | the east family,” featured the couple celebrating news that their baby would be born “healthy,” AKA without Down Syndrome. Naturally, the online Down Syndrome community went wild.  And even more naturally, the media celebrated this “uplifting update” from the couple. But how does someone with Down Syndrome or someone who has a loved one with Down Syndrome celebrate this? How can we jump for joy to celebrate that your child won’t be like ours? 

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33. Heather & Josh Avis answer, "How has Down Syndrome created your family norm?"

Heather and Josh Avis (@theluckyfewofficial) here! This week, we’re answering a question that we get asked a whole lot! “How has having two kids with Down Syndrome created our family norm?” We should probably start by saying that we’ve never really been a family with “norms.” The two of us moved to Hawaii just weeks after getting married at the ages of 20 and 23. A few years later, we came back to California and adopted three kids (not all at once, thank goodness!). Macyn is 11 with Down Syndrome, Truly is 8, and August is 5 with Down Syndrome. Our free spirited nature definitely helped us adjust to the rollercoaster of these unique adoptions, but they still came with plenty of uncertainties. One thing we know for sure is that having two children with Down Syndrome has allowed us to know the fullness of humanity and we consider ourselves very, very lucky (hence our name, The Lucky Few!). So friends, join us for a chat about our 17 years of marriage, our family vacation in Hawaii, and how Truly (and all of us!) have been made better because of Down Syndrome.

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32. The (Beautiful) Reality of Befriending Someone with Down Syndrome

We believe that one of the most powerful ways to shift the Down Syndrome narrative is by creating meaningful friendships with people who have DS. But let’s be real, creating those friendships isn’t easy, especially at the grade school level.  Who better to talk about doing hard things than Heather Avis? Open and honest with her 11 year old daughter Macy’s friendship journey on @theluckyfewofficial, Heather is tackling this topic on behalf of all three of our hosts today. Alongside Heather is her friend Rachel Haack, a mother of five girls ages 2-13, an interior decorator, a devoted wife, a future clinical psychologist, and a true narrative shifter. Today, Heather and Rachel are recounting the friendship story between their 11 year old daughters. Macy and London are two friends with different amounts of chromosomes brought together by two very, very intentional mothers. These mamas credit communication, genuine desire for friendship, willingness to embrace the discomfort, and lots and lots of grace as the reasons for such a beautiful friendship.

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