The Emiliano Series 4/10: Maria, Grandmother

(THE EMILIANO SERIES 4/10: Maria, Grandmother)

They were the longest 9 months of my life. Honestly, it felt as if I was the one that was pregnant. When my son first told me about my grandchild’s diagnosis, I was struck with a variety of mixed emotions. At first, I felt resentful and angry. I would find myself asking “why does my grandchild have Down syndrome? Why him?” I was in such disbelief that I thought I could pray his diagnosis away. 

The second emotion I felt was sadness. I didn’t know much about Down syndrome, so I still had the outdated thought that people with DS have a shorter life span. Thoughts of him being bullied and not included also stormed my mind and made me depressed. 

I’m glad to say those thoughts and my emotions have changed. While I still question why Emiliano was born with Down syndrome, I would not change him one bit. I love how much happiness his presence brings to my heart. I love his tight warm hugs and his face when it lights up with joy whenever he sees me. Most importantly, I admire his fearlessness.

Emiliano is pure love, and his charismatic presence lights up any room he walks in. Like the time he made his grand entrance riding his tractor at his Baptism party. My favorite memory of him. He was so bold, unafraid, and happy that I couldn’t help but to cry tears of happiness for him. He overcomes obstacles every day and constantly shows us his intellect in his own unique way. I look forward to the future smiles and laughs we’ll share, and I can’t wait to see all his future mischievousness.

#TheLuckyFew #TheLuckyFewFoundation #DownSyndrome #ThisIsDownSyndrome