“When we first brought Brooke home, we didn’t know what to do. We hadn’t had any tests done beforehand, so when she was born and the doctor said, ‘Your child has Down Syndrome’, it was a shock. We actually refused to believe the diagnosis for a couple of months until all the tests came back. Once they did, it was about acceptance. You have to learn to accept things in life and then move on. We took classes to get ourselves up to speed and found a lot of support through the Down Syndrome Association and various other groups
"Brooke is 17 now. She loves to sing, dance, ride her bike, and go tubing on the lake. She's very outdoorsy and gregarious; there are no strangers in her life. She has a caring, nurturing spirit and is her brother's biggest fan. She has him on a pedestal.
“Parenting Brooke has taught us a lot about ourselves. We have more patience now. And we’ve learned that life isn’t always about the white picket fence and the perfect house and the perfect car. It’s about acceptance and understanding and making a good, fun, happy life for your kids and for yourself.
“We heard a story once that’s meant a lot to us over the years: Say you’re planning a vacation to a warm, sunny country. You pack your shorts, T-shirts, tennis shoes, and swimsuit. You’re on the plane and just about to land when the pilot comes on and says, ‘Welcome to Iceland.’ You didn’t pack for Iceland; you’re not ready for it. So you have a decision to make: You can be upset from that point on, or you can wrap your mind around it and say to yourself, ‘Okay, we’re in Iceland. It’s not where we thought we were going, but it’s where we are.’ That's our family: We landed in a different place than we expected, but we have warm jackets now and we’re enjoying our lives.”
"Brooke is 17 now. She loves to sing, dance, ride her bike, and go tubing on the lake. She's very outdoorsy and gregarious; there are no strangers in her life. She has a caring, nurturing spirit and is her brother's biggest fan. She has him on a pedestal.
“Parenting Brooke has taught us a lot about ourselves. We have more patience now. And we’ve learned that life isn’t always about the white picket fence and the perfect house and the perfect car. It’s about acceptance and understanding and making a good, fun, happy life for your kids and for yourself.
“We heard a story once that’s meant a lot to us over the years: Say you’re planning a vacation to a warm, sunny country. You pack your shorts, T-shirts, tennis shoes, and swimsuit. You’re on the plane and just about to land when the pilot comes on and says, ‘Welcome to Iceland.’ You didn’t pack for Iceland; you’re not ready for it. So you have a decision to make: You can be upset from that point on, or you can wrap your mind around it and say to yourself, ‘Okay, we’re in Iceland. It’s not where we thought we were going, but it’s where we are.’ That's our family: We landed in a different place than we expected, but we have warm jackets now and we’re enjoying our lives.”
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