Introduction

INTRODUCTION

These are song lyrics I wrote about my daughter Mishayla Rose, who was born with Down Syndrome:





Mishayla’s Colors



The day you came into my life
I knew not what to do
They said that you’d be different
The possibilities were few;
But the moment I laid eyes on you
The greatest love shined through
A shade of love I’d never known
Colored my world
When I gave birth to you


And now I see the world
In an ever changing hue
The reds are so much brighter
There’s beauty in the blue
You sparkle like a rainbow
So radiant and fine
The world will see such wonder
When Mishayla’s colors shine


And now you’re part of every day
and everything I do
You’re a prism with a perfect glow
A clarity that’s new
And everything I’ve done before
has readied me  for you
The angels shined their special light
down on my heart

Now my purpose has come true

And now I see the world
In an ever changing hue
The reds are so much brighter
There’s beauty in the blue
You sparkle like a rainbow
So radiant and fine
The world will see such wonder
When Mishayla’s colors shine


The world will see such beauty
It will make them
Change their mind.

It's hard to believe that nearly 12 years have past since I wrote these words; since this marvelous creature we named Mishayla Rose (pronounced Mish-shay-la) came into our lives.  She has brought to our lives joy, mystery, pain, and wonder beyond any possible imagining.  She has taught me more about the value of life, all life, more than anybody I've come across in my 51 years of being on this earth. It is a story I have been waiting to tell; I know the telling will bring back so many memories; some nearly euphoric, some will recall times of agony and desperation, not to mention the downright terror that any parent that gives birth to a child with a disability will experience.

But it is the time to tell it.  With the advent of a blood test that will tell if a fetus has Down Syndrome at about the tenth week of pregnancy, it is likely that abortions will increase with the diagnosis. Already, even without this simple test, over 90% of parents who get this diagnosis will abort.  As you can surmise, this test will make it  even higher.  As a matter of fact, some predictions have gone as far as to say that if the test goes into worldwide use, by the year 2030, Down Syndrome will be wiped out.

I suppose there would be some that would say, well, that's a good thing.  No more retardation, heart defects or bowel defects.  And with some of the political attitudes I hear out there right now, no more need for people who need "entitlements" either.

Please understand: I have been a pro-choice advocate all my life.  At this writing and beyond, I will remain one.  I would never suppose to tell another parent what to do, or what choices are right for them.  This story is not written as a personal political manifesto either. It is not my purpose in writing it to advance any political agenda.  It is my purpose to enlighten and to educate.

What I would propose, is that when the diagnosis is given, people are given accurate information.  Most importantly, they are given, with that diagnosis, the hope that my husband and I were given.  That they are made to realize that having a child with Down Syndrome, in and of itself, is not always a good reason for an abortion.  In fact, they would be missing out on a parenting experience like no other, and a chance to give and get pure and unconditional love.

Mishayla Today

What could be better?  Not much!! 

Some would say raising a child with a disability is too hard.  That life is tough enough. 

Don't look now; but I was one of those people.  And look how Mishayla's colors have changed my view, changed my world.  And the truth is, raising any child is a challenge.  The challenges are just different when the child has Down Syndrome.

And like raising any child, the rewards are immense.

I hope reading our story will let "everyone see the beauty" and "change" a few minds, as the song says. 

I will tell this story in chapter form, as if reading a regularly published book, as I write them.  May you find it inspirational, especially those of you with newborns with a Down Syndrome diagnosis.  You are about to embark on a journey like no other.  You are truly blessed.

Blessings,

Cyndee Gero-Moore