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Let’s talk Support networks.

 



Let’s talk Support networks.

They say it takes a village to raise a child and wow what a village we have. I’ll start with our T21 family.... On receiving our diagnosis with Luca I was able to reach out to a friend whom I knew who also had a son with Down Syndrome. This friend was able to connect me with the T21 pregnancy groups and the moment they made contact I was provided with phone numbers, check ins and linked in with two lovely ladies from Down Syndrome NSW where I received information packs and further support. I immediately felt a sense of calm, that everything was going to be ok. From here my husband Andrew and I discussed how we were going to tell people our news. Both of us grew up in our home town, I had worked in childcare for 18 years and had many friends and acquaintances. We decided we would put an announcement on Facebook to share our unexpected news. My mum at the time was hesitant about me putting something so big on social media, but we felt we would rather everyone know before hand rather than tell them at his birth. We wanted people to celebrate his arrival with us, not feel sorry for us. We weren’t sorry. It also saved repeating this over and over every time someone asked how everything was going. I remember going away for the weekend and I sat and wrote a very heartfelt announcement... what came after this blew me away. Hundreds of messages of support and beautiful words to tell us how loved our little man would be. I remember calling my mum, who told me my dad was sitting there at home reading these messages crying. I was truly touched that so many people were behind us and tears flowed as I knew all our fears of the unknown we’re going to be made easier with support from so many. Then came Luca’s birth, an hour away from home and along with our close family and friends making the trip to visit while Luca was in the NICU, I was also introduced to the amazing Stephanie Rodden from Celebrate T21. Stephanie personally visited us in the NICU and delivered is a beautiful gift pack. This included the Celebrate T21 book which the nurses in the NICU had lent me a copy of to show our family and friends. This visit was so comforting and appreciated and was the beginning of another new connection/friendship within the T21 community. From here our village has remained strong. Never have I felt unsupported or not had someone to turn to. Our family is beyond amazing. Luca’s siblings love him beyond measure. They are his biggest fans and advocates and they see him as nothing but one of them. My work family and bosses have supported me throughout my whole journey, not only with Luca but also with his older sister Sienna. With Luca entering child care, his Educators learnt how to do his tube feeds, attended a key word sign workshop and implement this everyday with him and the other children. They absolutely adore him and he has a beautiful connection with them all and loves school. Inclusivity at its best. Luca has a fantastic team of therapists that work so hard with him every week and due to their persistence and love and care, Luca is smashing so many of his goals. I’ve run Rock your sock fundraisers and Pie Drives to raise money for Celebrate T21 and the whole community including where we live, our family and friends, and the families at the Childcare centre that I manage, and where my children both attend, have all gotten behind these raising a phenomenal amount of money for a great cause. And finally, back to our T21 community. A group of amazing people that you wish never to be a part of but boy we are so glad we are. This group of parents, mostly Mumma's like myself, raising a child with a disability have been wonderful. Friendships have been made, there is always advice given when needed and these people build you up when you are not feeling very strong and when everything seems too much. People often say to me that Luca was sent to us for a reason. That he was given to us because we are amazing and strong and exactly what he needed. I don’t believe this.... I believe we are ordinary people doing what we need to do for our son, to give him the best possible life. What I do say is that we couldn’t have done all this without our village and what an amazing village we have.

We are all so very blessed.... ❤️
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