#6 - A Community, Within a Community, Within a Community
This post is fitting today. We just finished up with our monthly Down syndrome playgroup today, and had a blast seeing everyone...as usual!
That's the cool thing about the Down Syndrome Program at Boston Children's...it's a tight-knit community, within the larger Down syndrome community across our country, within the international Down syndrome community that encompasses the millions of people with a little extra something, just like my Ty.
When we lived in Virginia, we were only a part of that massive, nationwide and international Down syndrome community. I had found an awesome group of parents in my same boat in an online DS forum (and later met many of them in person), but that was our only connection. When we moved to New England, we joined the Down Syndrome Program in Boston within months, and were introduced to a much smaller and personal community of families. Sitting in the waiting room of the clinic is always fun, because you undoubtedly meet someone new, who also has a child with Down syndrome (and sometimes see people you've known for a while, and realize you have appointments on the same day!)
At our first appointment, Dr. Davidson gave us information about a Down syndrome playgroup in Massachusetts. We were a little hesitant, because Ty was still too little to "play", so we put it off until he was 11 months old. After our first playgroup though, we were hooked! Not only did we go to them monthly, but a friend and I ended up starting a second playgroup here in New Hampshire, which is also held monthly. Within a matter of months, we were introduced to people...awesome people...who were also raising children with DS who were Ty's age, and best of all, they lived right in our area!
By being a part of the Down Syndrome Program, we were introduced to people who have become lifelong friends. See, the clinic isn't just a doctor's office . It's personal. Everyone knows you by name, and recognizes the growth in your child. They care about your well-being, and make sure that you are supported in any way that you need. Without joining the program we never would have met such awesome kids for Ty to grow with...
.JPG)
No comments:
Post a Comment