#teamBLAKE

Hi! My name is Lauren! This is my husband Steve and our son Blake. If you don’t happen to know us or Blake’s 6 amazing grandparents, chances are you might find yourself wondering why you’re reading this.

A little back story…

One warm, Friday night in June 2017, I was enjoying myself watching Steve and his buddies play softball. Seemingly out of nowhere, Blake decided it was time to join us Earthside. Fast forward 10 hours later… we welcomed a beautiful 6lb 7oz baby boy two whole weeks early.

We spent a blissful 28 hours together. Then his pediatrician came into our room and ushered out visiting relatives. And then she dropped the bomb - “I suspect your son has Down syndrome, but we won’t know for sure until we can complete genetics testing through Hopkins.” Exit stage right. Um, excuse me? What about his eyes? He has MY eyes. Low muscle tone? What are you even talking about? He’s strong as an ox! To say Steve & I were dumbfounded was an understatement. A few hours later, we were visited by the hospital’s social worker who came prepared with a folder full of information. “Are you OK?,” she asked. I mean… we were physically still here, and our baby was physically still here so… yes? In all honesty, no we were not alright. We had just received a birth diagnosis of the most common genetic condition and we were petrified.

I would later learn that all of the fear and anxiety we initially felt was mourning the loss of the life we prepared for. Now it was time to pull it together and really understand what we were in for. Steve immersed himself in Dr. Google; which isn’t always a bad thing, but there you see the good, the bad, and the ugly in 2.2 seconds. It can be really overwhelming. Me on the other hand, I took a different approach. I found people, parents like us, who found themselves on the same journey. That’s when I found the Chesapeake Down Syndrome Parent Group. And the best piece of advice I received was, “Take your baby home and LOVE him. He is, after all, still a baby.” That’s when everything changed for me. My mindset flipped a switch, and I went from panicked Mama Bear to blissful first time Mama. ??

I learned that Down syndrome is a spectrum. There’s no, “Oh he/she has it worse than so&so.” Some individuals with Ds have more medical issues than others while some have more cognitive or physical delays. Will someone with Ds be able to do what others can do? Yes! Will they live a fulfilling life? Absolutely! Are individuals with Ds more likely to face more challenges? Yes. And will the likely face more adversity? Unfortunately, yes. But that is why Steve & I, along with our family & friends, are such fierce advocates of those with Ds, like Blake, and fight for inclusion. In our tribe, no one gets left behind!

Today, Blake is an extremely happy [almost] 7-year-old. Anyone and everyone who meets him is instantly enamored by his charm and smile that will melt your heart. He is rocking Kindergarten and we're looking to get him into t-ball. He enjoys watching hockey with his dad, playing guitar with his Poppy, singing with his Mimi, reading books with his Noni, chasing Papa’s cat, rocking out with his Pops, and baking with his Gigi. He LOVES music (he is actually kind of partial to rap - aka “dance music”), so it seemed only fitting to hold a band performance in his honor.

So, if you’ve stuck with me this far, thank you. Thank you for reading our story and understanding that Ds is just a diagnosis, it is NOT the person. Having Ds is no different than someone being diagnosed with asthma or allergies. You may have to make some adjustments and change you sails a little bit, but at the end of your journey, you still make your destination.