The Amina Series 3/6: Shannon, Dad

(THE AMINA SERIES 3/6: Shannon, Dad)

When Amina was born I remember being really excited about the endless opportunities she would have due to her inherited strong will and strength. When finding out there was a possibility that Amina had Down Syndrome I doubted that vision. While awaiting the results I often looked at her thinking there was no way my baby girl has Down syndrome. Our suspicions were later confirmed at which time the vision seemed impossible. I felt afraid, helpless, sad, and confused. I also felt guilt for denying and hoping for Amina to not have DS as I felt I was denying who she was.

I really struggled with my guilt for some time until someone from the DS community shared that, “mourning the child you thought you had is an important step in moving forward and appreciating the child you have.” However, I was still concerned with Amina’s ability to persevere through the many challenges life can present to someone with special needs.

After having early intervention services, and going into a Montessori school, I started to see Amina develop her own personality. She started to communicate what she wanted and didn’t want by saying “NO!” She started to sign, crawl, stand, say more words, and later walk. Amina consistently fought to either master the skill or to get her mom and me to let her do her own thing.

Even before Amina could walk without falling, she began to refuse to let us hold her hand anymore. Although she did fall on many occasions she would always get up on her own and continue to try. I saw all of these actions by Amina as a lesson. She was teaching us that although it may take her longer to reach a destination, she’s up for the task because she inherited a strong will and strength that will not allow anyone to place limits on her.

#TheLuckyFew #TheLuckyFewFoundation #DownSyndrome #ThisIsDownSyndrome