Happy 8th Birthday Anthony!

From the first few days of your life, the emotional roller coaster ride you took us on, you continue to do things your way! I look back on our 8 year journey and have no regrets. From the first day of the diagnosis of Down Syndrome I have struggled with where society has evolved. As we sat in Anthony's hospital room, hoping and praying he would recover from his heart surgery, we received the news that Anthony was born with an extra chromosome. The next thing we knew the room was filled with people telling us what to expect, asking us if we had done the prenatal test to determine genetic abnormalities, and offering their perspective on what life with Anthony would be like.

Let's start with prenatel genetic testing, we had done the only test that really mattered, an ultrasound that told us we were going to have a boy to go along with our seven girls. My take on prenatel testing is best told by the experience our neighbors went thru during their pregnancy with expecting their first daughter. They had the testing done & were told they were going to have a baby born with Down Syndrome. They were upset & worried for the remainder of there pregnancy only to find the Doctors were wrong & their daughter was born perfectly healthy. God creates and plans our life. If you can't do anything to change the outcome what good does it do to worry. You need to have faith that God has a reason and a plan for you, and whatever the outcome you will be stronger because of it. In my opinion the only thing I might have control over, in knowing of a genetic defect, would be termination of the pregnancy & that was DEFINITLY NOT AN OPTION! It's like I told my daughters when they said they were sorry Anthony was born with Down Syndrome: I asked " is he not still your brother? Do you not help your sisters if they need help? If something happened to one of your sisters or mom or me, would you not do everything in your power to take care of them? Then why would you feel sorry for Anthony, he is still Anthony & we will do anything we need to do to help him be all that he can be!" I feel sorry for anyone who might choose to miss out on the wonderful life experiences Anthony has given us by choosing to terminate a pregnancy. I am truely blessed to have Anthony in my life. You will never know what true unconditional love is, you will never know the true meaning of what it is to stop and smell the roses, you will never know what an amazing world we live in until you see it through the eyes of a child like Anthony. In our throw away society we have lost sight of what is really of value, the life changing rewards I could have missed out on had I decided to terminate Anthony's pregnancy.

Next, I look back on the room full of so called experts filtering in and out of Anthony's Hospital room as he was recovering from heart surgery at 4 days old. The diagnosis was Down Syndrome and they all were truely there to help, or so they thought. We were just glad Anthony was alive and had yet to really proccess the fact that something else might be wrong with our dear little son. When one of the experts finally asked if there was anything they could do for me, outspoken me, being my brutelly honest self, told them to "get out!" We had just put our 4 day old son thru heart surgery and he survived! Yes, there would be some challenges ahead because of the Down Syndrome, but he is our son, we will give him the best of everything we can possibly give. We will research any and all options available to provide our son the opportunity to have the fullest life possible. But for now, give us time to process all that has happened in the short 10 days of his life. If I could impart 1 thing on someone going thru a similar situation is that the experts aren't always right. Don't hesitate to challenge them. Ask questions & research until you are satisfied with the answer. And have faith in the bigger pictures, that there is a plan and a purpose for everything you experience in life. The experts have said we could have saved Anthony and ourselves from experiencing the pain and suffering created because of Anthony's condition, but we also would have missed out on the joy and wonder his condition has provided us with.

I can't imagine what our life without Anthony would be like. We have come to know so many in the community because of him. Thanks to Anthony & his condition we became very close friends with Anthony's surgeon and her family. Thanks to Anthony & his condition we have become lifelong supporters of the Spokane Guilds School and their loving staff. Thanks to Anthony & his condition our family has become outspoken advocates for persons with disabilities, protesting the "Tropic Thunder" movie, advocating the removal of the "R" word in the halls of our schools, lobbying for equal rights for all! Thanks to Anthony & his condition I have a greater appreciation for the families of individuals with disabilities, the service providors who assist them, and the lobbyists who fight for them. We have a social obligation to break down the barriers and end the last truely discriminated segment of our population.

Thank you Anthony for lighting up my day with your smile!
Thank you Anthony for helping me to see the real beauty around us.
Thank you Anthony for showing me unconditional LOVE!
Thank you Anthony for reminding me I make you feel safe (when you run to my bedside & snuggle up and fall back to sleep after a nightmare)
Thank you Anthony for teaching me you CAN do it!
Thank you Anthony for making me laugh and also helping me cry.
Thank you Anthony for pointing out the injustice in the world.
But most of all Thank you Anthony for teaching me that if we try hard enough we can do anything we dream of doing.

I love you very much!
Happy 8th B-Day and looking forward to many more

Dad