Our Stories – Charlotte Rice

Posted by on Sep 2, 2020 in Our Stories | 0 comments

charlotte web
Our daughter, Charlotte, was born early at 27 weeks. We had had an inkling that she might have Down syndrome based on preliminary clues that our doctor had seen but never got any sort of confirmation before I went into labor. When she was born, there were so many other complications that Down syndrome seemed really trivial as far as things we should be concerned about. But as she got healthier, it was something that started worrying me. What did Down syndrome mean? What things would she be able to do? How different was this going to be from what I had been expecting?

We received a welcome basket from TVDSA which gave us a lot of information about Down syndrome and I was excited that there was a network of people waiting to help us and give us guidance. What I think helped the most was that one of the NICU nurses knew another parent of a child with DS and asked me if I’d like her phone number. I was quick to say yes and talking to another parent who was already going through this journey really helped to ease my mind even further. She told me all the things her son could do and what an amazing kid he is and encouraged me to join TVDSA to meet other parents and other individuals with DS. Once Charlotte was healthy enough to go out, we started attending playdates and meeting other members.

TVDSA has provided us with a network of knowledge, support, and friends and we are so grateful for everything we have gained from being involved.

Jennifer and Mark Rice

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