
Posted: Saturday, March 14, 2015 5:00 pm
By GREG AWTRY Publisher
Star Herald
MY NEW LUCKY NUMBER
There is a time to talk politics, beef production facilities, fracking wastewater disposal wells and the Keystone XL pipeline. Today is not one of those days. Today I want to share a personal story with you.
If you are reading this on Sunday, March 15, it is one week before World Down Syndrome Day, March 21, 2015. Why is this so important to me? Well, here’s my story.
It was the year 1978 when my wife Josie and I celebrated the birth of our daughter Jamie. The birth went as planned, everyone was healthy, and we were blessed with the perfect daughter we always dreamed about.
Several years passed and little Jamie was well into her “terrible-twos,” pretty much ignoring whatever we said to her. She was full of spunk and spirit and a mind of her own. As she turned 3 we couldn’t help but notice that her speech was not developing as it should. The doctor said we should have her hearing checked.
We did, and were shocked to learn she had dramatic hearing loss, and most likely had since birth. As young parents, we were at a loss. Fortunately for us we lived just blocks away from Michigan State University, which had an amazing audiology department.
They went to work and fitted her with powerful hearing aids. We remember so well the first day she heard the rain. She had never heard it before. Or the look on her face as a robin chirped. Day after day we would take Jamie to Michigan State University for testing. She knew everybody in the audiology department and they all knew her. They asked if Jamie would be willing to be a test case so they could learn how to better diagnose infants with hearing loss. Little did we know then, but Jamie’s willingness to help infants, even at her early age, foreshadowed what was to come later.
Then at age 5 she was denied public school because of her disability, but we fought to have her mainstreamed anyway. Making up for the loss of hearing, we watched an indomitable spirit take over as Jamie showed a remarkable ability to learn. Following years of speech therapy, that spirit and determination carried her to heights we could never imagine. One of our proudest moments came as we sat in the audience and watched her accept her Doctor of Occupational Therapy Degree from Creighton University. It was at that point she dedicated her life and career to working with disabled children.
So what does this have to do with World Down Syndrome day? Five years ago, daughter Jamie, all grown up and pregnant herself, delivered her first daughter. Beautiful “Baby Maddie” as I love to call her. I’ll never forget that day either.
It was a cold January morning, the sky a dark grey, and the news that came shortly after was equally gloomy. Baby Maddie had a little something extra. Every cell in her body had not two chromosome 21s like most of us, but three. Baby Maddie was born with Down Syndrome.
As grandparents of Baby Maddie, we were devastated. Not only for her, but for her parents, our daughter and son-in-law. Baby Maddie gasped to pull air into those tiny lungs. Two small holes in her heart put in question whether she would make it through her first day. This newborn peanut of a little girl fought like a warrior and made it through her first night and into the morning. As each hour passed, it became clear this precious little girl was a fighter.
Now, a little over 5 years old, Baby Maddie is remarkable! My wife Josie and I know why, if genetics have anything to do with it. Baby Maddie’s mother Jamie has passed on the will and determination she used to overcome her disability — and fair warning, it is contagious. It has infected me and is what gets me up each morning.
I strive to see the world as “Baby” Maddie does. She sees the good in everybody and everything. She has the world figured out much better than we ever will.
So yes, National Down Syndrome Day is a big deal to us. We wear the different colored socks so when people ask, we have reason to tell our story. It’s a day we can raise awareness for those who have the “extra 21”. They are very special people with very special needs, none greater than the need to be loved.
And just as I touched down in my new city, Scottsbluff, I see hundreds of people jumping into freezing water to raise money for Special Olympics, and I think to myself, “God does work in mysterious ways.”
So when Baby Maddie comes to visit, I can hardly wait to introduce you to her. We’ll be easy to spot, a little peanut dressed in her favorite color, pink, walking hand in hand with a fat old publisher who will be wearing a shirt with my new lucky number on it. You guessed it. The number 21!
http://www.starherald.com/opinion/awtry-my-new-lucky-number/article_b125b3e9-5bd8-5dfd-b15a-6a76da85f0d3.html
By GREG AWTRY Publisher
Star Herald
MY NEW LUCKY NUMBER
There is a time to talk politics, beef production facilities, fracking wastewater disposal wells and the Keystone XL pipeline. Today is not one of those days. Today I want to share a personal story with you.
If you are reading this on Sunday, March 15, it is one week before World Down Syndrome Day, March 21, 2015. Why is this so important to me? Well, here’s my story.
It was the year 1978 when my wife Josie and I celebrated the birth of our daughter Jamie. The birth went as planned, everyone was healthy, and we were blessed with the perfect daughter we always dreamed about.
Several years passed and little Jamie was well into her “terrible-twos,” pretty much ignoring whatever we said to her. She was full of spunk and spirit and a mind of her own. As she turned 3 we couldn’t help but notice that her speech was not developing as it should. The doctor said we should have her hearing checked.
We did, and were shocked to learn she had dramatic hearing loss, and most likely had since birth. As young parents, we were at a loss. Fortunately for us we lived just blocks away from Michigan State University, which had an amazing audiology department.
They went to work and fitted her with powerful hearing aids. We remember so well the first day she heard the rain. She had never heard it before. Or the look on her face as a robin chirped. Day after day we would take Jamie to Michigan State University for testing. She knew everybody in the audiology department and they all knew her. They asked if Jamie would be willing to be a test case so they could learn how to better diagnose infants with hearing loss. Little did we know then, but Jamie’s willingness to help infants, even at her early age, foreshadowed what was to come later.
Then at age 5 she was denied public school because of her disability, but we fought to have her mainstreamed anyway. Making up for the loss of hearing, we watched an indomitable spirit take over as Jamie showed a remarkable ability to learn. Following years of speech therapy, that spirit and determination carried her to heights we could never imagine. One of our proudest moments came as we sat in the audience and watched her accept her Doctor of Occupational Therapy Degree from Creighton University. It was at that point she dedicated her life and career to working with disabled children.
So what does this have to do with World Down Syndrome day? Five years ago, daughter Jamie, all grown up and pregnant herself, delivered her first daughter. Beautiful “Baby Maddie” as I love to call her. I’ll never forget that day either.
It was a cold January morning, the sky a dark grey, and the news that came shortly after was equally gloomy. Baby Maddie had a little something extra. Every cell in her body had not two chromosome 21s like most of us, but three. Baby Maddie was born with Down Syndrome.
As grandparents of Baby Maddie, we were devastated. Not only for her, but for her parents, our daughter and son-in-law. Baby Maddie gasped to pull air into those tiny lungs. Two small holes in her heart put in question whether she would make it through her first day. This newborn peanut of a little girl fought like a warrior and made it through her first night and into the morning. As each hour passed, it became clear this precious little girl was a fighter.
Now, a little over 5 years old, Baby Maddie is remarkable! My wife Josie and I know why, if genetics have anything to do with it. Baby Maddie’s mother Jamie has passed on the will and determination she used to overcome her disability — and fair warning, it is contagious. It has infected me and is what gets me up each morning.
I strive to see the world as “Baby” Maddie does. She sees the good in everybody and everything. She has the world figured out much better than we ever will.
So yes, National Down Syndrome Day is a big deal to us. We wear the different colored socks so when people ask, we have reason to tell our story. It’s a day we can raise awareness for those who have the “extra 21”. They are very special people with very special needs, none greater than the need to be loved.
And just as I touched down in my new city, Scottsbluff, I see hundreds of people jumping into freezing water to raise money for Special Olympics, and I think to myself, “God does work in mysterious ways.”
So when Baby Maddie comes to visit, I can hardly wait to introduce you to her. We’ll be easy to spot, a little peanut dressed in her favorite color, pink, walking hand in hand with a fat old publisher who will be wearing a shirt with my new lucky number on it. You guessed it. The number 21!
http://www.starherald.com/opinion/awtry-my-new-lucky-number/article_b125b3e9-5bd8-5dfd-b15a-6a76da85f0d3.html