Re: * This group..........

[Guest guest]

Jacqui,

You are right, discussions are welcomed here. And many times they conflict with the owners/moderators point of view. Which is fine ! The owners / moderators of this list work diligently to keep this list open, and a safe place for discussions. Flaming anyone is not allowed. (not saying you or anyone else has done so).

Passion is a wonderful thing. But it can also make for heated discussions. Politics, Religion, Abortion are all "hot topics". Some days when these subjects hit the list, the moderators/owners are so busy just making sure all the rules are followed, no one is breaking them, and if they do, they are handled properly, that their families wonder when the computer will be surgically removed from their fingers.

I am glad your here, and while we disagree on our political views, we can agree to do so respectfully. So far, so good ! I am very sorry if people are Emailing you privately. Unfortunately that is something we have little control over. But if it is really bad, please do not hesitate to talk to Carol, Kathy, or I and let us know what is going on.

Arent hot topics fun? Lol

Hugs,

   Jules Romero

-- *[DownSyndromeInfoExchange] This group..........

I've gotten alot of flack for my political beliefs, the disclaimer for this site was even sent to me. But can I share with ya'll the rest of the description? But before I do, please know that I DO support our troops whatever soil they are........"Are you looking for a list that offers 'one stop shopping' ? Are you tired of joining list after list in an effort to cover all your bases??Would you like to talk to other parents about conditions that your child may have such as a congenital heart defect(CHD), gastroesphogeal reflux disease (GERD, hypothyroidism, etc.? Do you enjoy reading posts about medical abstracts/research, vitamin supplements , alternative and traditional medicine along with potty training advice, a shoulder to cry and a place to brag?? Would you enjoy a list that allows for ALL viewpoints to be discussed in a civil manner and assumes parents have the ability to chose the BEST options to help their child develop and grow?Are you the type of person who welcomes all sides so as to have as much information as possible to make intelligent choices in all areas? Do you like to ask lots of questions and can you be open to listen to everyone experiences with out judging, and tolerate honest probing about your standpoint?Then we have the list for you!!!Our goal is to offer a place where you can ask about everything related to Down syndrome(DS, Trisomy 21) and discuss anything as long as it's done in a civil manner. We want to encourage people to bring their viewpoints and experiences to the list so there are many choices as all the kids are different, and what works for one, may not work for all.We aim to build and maintain a comprehensive file page that will make navigating the web for informative sites easier. We will work to have basic information in an easy to find file section along with items you can use to teach your child and yourself.Disclaimer- This list will operate from a pro-life standpoint. All are welcome :-) we just want you to aware of our bias up-front"Now, with that said - I'm a mom of 5 kids. Ages 22 - 11. My stepson has DS. He is now 15 years old and is considered "profoundly mentally handicapped" here in the state of Florida. He not only has DS, but he has also been diagnosed with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, a gait disorder, he's non-verbal, has a seizure disorder, had an AV repair at 8 months old, he has a severe finger picking disorder resulting in numerous staph and MRSA infections causing hospitalizations, he has Dandy and requires an MRI every 6 months to ensure that it hasn't gotten worse. We got custody when he was 10 after being removed from his biological mom's care b/c of severe abuse and neglect. When he came to us, he was still drinking out of a bottle, eating baby food and drinking formula - which was fed to him, he didn't walk or communicate at all and she kept him in a closet at night b/c he doesn't sleep and she needed to make sure that she did. Since coming to us, he has learned to walk, is communicating, is feeding himself the same foods as the rest of us in the family and enjoys things we never thought he would, AND we are making progress in the "sleep" department. I work in a skilled nursing facility and advocate strongly for people with disabilities. I run a local support group for families that have children with various disabilities and volunteer in many different facets of the "disability" field. Now, if anyone wants to talk to me about my beautiful children, my wonderful husband, and some really cool aspects of my life.....hey drop me a line. If you still feel that my politics are out of sync with those of this group, therefore making a person feel uncomfortable about expressing their beliefs/views/opinions, etc, let me know.......I'll move on.~Jacqui

[Guest guest]

Jacqui-

I think that sometimes people email privately because they don’t

want to embarrass the person by posting their message on the listserv (kind of

the ‘Moreover if thy brother

shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him

alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.’ 18:15….

Everyone

is welcome here…but we are very upfront about this being a pro life listserv,

so don’t be surprised that people responded to your comments they way they

did(me included) 

I

am glad that you decided to stick around and discuss this rather than leave the

list  because people disagreed with you.

I

think that we can have honest debates here on the ‘hard’ topics without getting

nasty (on either ‘side’)

Yes,

abortion is a ‘sad’ topic…but it is not going to go away….we have to deal with

it, because babies are dying every day . If a foreign nation took over our

country and forced the women to have abortions, we would be up in arms against

them (I hope) Yet here we are…millions of babies dead due to abortion…and it is

all completely ‘legal’…we are not only allowing it to happen, many people are

reluctant to speak out against it because they don’t want to ‘upset’ anyone. 

Even if I personally would never have an abortion, if I vote for someone who is

promising that s/he will expand abortion ‘rights ‘(or even support the status

quo of abortion ‘rights’), I believe that I would be complicit in the deaths of

the babies that will die as a result.

I

will confess that you(and others who have said the same thing) have me

scratching my head to figure out how someone who is pro life can vote for a

person who has a record of being so aggressively pro-abortion. To my way of

thinking, pro life means that you don’t see a baby as a ‘choice’ or a ‘decision’

(especially once the woman is pregnant) You don’t toss aside the rights of the

unborn because you want better education or health care or whatever for your

own child. Either it is a child, or it isn’t. We can’t have it both ways,

although people have succeeded in muddying up the waters by doing fancy

footwork with the terminology…for example….’fetus’ is just the Latin word for ‘unborn

childâ€â€¦it doesn’t mean ‘product of conception’ ..it is a child. It is bizarre

when you stop to think about it…if a woman *wants* a child, she

celebrates when she finds out she is pregnant with her baby…if she doesn’t want

it, or finds out later in the pregnancy that there is something ‘wrong’ with

the baby, then the unborn child (fetus) somehow magically morphs into  a ‘choice’,

and people who think of themselves as ‘non judgmental’ say that although they

would never have an abortion, they support ‘reproductive choice’..where is the

baby in all of this? How about the baby’s choice??

I

don’t understand how anyone can weight education/economy /anything else against

a baby’s basic right to live, and come out on the side that the other things

trump the child’s right to even be born? How can it be that we have the right

to sacrifice a child’s life in the hopes that our own children will have a

better education?   Why does it have to be one or the other? Our politicians

are a reflection of their constituents…most of them will pretty much do or say

ANYTHING in order to get elected. Promising people the moon with a fence around

it is easy…have they told you where they are going to get the money for all of

the stuff that they are promising? Wouldn’t it be awful to sell out the unborn

only to find out that all of the other promises were empty?

I

just honestly don’t see how God will bless a nation with prosperity if we keep

on with the wholesale slaughter of the unborn.

And

I also want to say that this topic will not be shut down just because it may

make people uncomfortable to talk about it…those that want to read and

participate..fine..those that don’t…please just delete;-)

Thank

you

KathyR

-- *[DownSyndromeInfoExchange] This group..........

I've gotten alot of flack for my political

beliefs, the disclaimer

for this site was even sent to me. But can I share with ya'll the

rest of the description? But before I do, please know that I DO

support our troops whatever soil they are........

" Are you looking for a list that offers 'one stop shopping' ? Are you

tired of joining list after list in an effort to cover all your

bases??

Would you like to talk to other parents about conditions that your

child may have such as a congenital heart defect(CHD),

gastroesphogeal reflux disease (GERD, hypothyroidism, etc.? Do you

enjoy reading posts about medical abstracts/research, vitamin

supplements , alternative and traditional medicine along with potty

training advice, a shoulder to cry and a place to brag?? Would you

enjoy a list that allows for ALL viewpoints to be discussed in a

civil manner and assumes parents have the ability to chose the BEST

options to help their child develop and grow?

Are you the type of person who welcomes all sides so as to have as

much information as possible to make intelligent choices in all

areas? Do you like to ask lots of questions and can you be open to

listen to everyone experiences with out judging, and tolerate honest

probing about your standpoint?

Then we have the list for you!!!

Our goal is to offer a place where you can ask about everything

related to Down syndrome(DS, Trisomy 21) and discuss anything as long

as it's done in a civil manner. We want to encourage people to bring

their viewpoints and experiences to the list so there are many

choices as all the kids are different, and what works for one, may

not work for all.

We aim to build and maintain a comprehensive file page that will make

navigating the web for informative sites easier. We will work to have

basic information in an easy to find file section along with items

you can use to teach your child and yourself.

Disclaimer- This list will operate from a pro-life standpoint. All

are welcome :-) we just want you to aware of our bias up-front "

Now, with that said - I'm a mom of 5 kids. Ages 22 - 11. My stepson

has DS. He is now 15 years old and is considered " profoundly

mentally handicapped " here in the state of Florida. He not only has

DS, but he has also been diagnosed with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, a

gait disorder, he's non-verbal, has a seizure disorder, had an AV

repair at 8 months old, he has a severe finger picking disorder

resulting in numerous staph and MRSA infections causing

hospitalizations, he has Dandy and requires an MRI every 6

months to ensure that it hasn't gotten worse. We got custody when he

was 10 after being removed from his biological mom's care b/c of

severe abuse and neglect. When he came to us, he was still drinking

out of a bottle, eating baby food and drinking formula - which was

fed to him, he didn't walk or communicate at all and she kept him in

a closet at night b/c he doesn't sleep and she needed to make sure

that she did. Since coming to us, he has learned to walk, is

communicating, is feeding himself the same foods as the rest of us in

the family and enjoys things we never thought he would, AND we are

making progress in the " sleep " department.

I work in a skilled nursing facility and advocate strongly for people

with disabilities. I run a local support group for families that

have children with various disabilities and volunteer in many

different facets of the " disability " field.

Now, if anyone wants to talk to me about my beautiful children, my

wonderful husband, and some really cool aspects of my life.....hey

drop me a line. If you still feel that my politics are out of sync

with those of this group, therefore making a person feel

uncomfortable about expressing their beliefs/views/opinions, etc, let

me know.......I'll move on.

~Jacqui

[Guest guest]



That was an excellent post.

*[DownSyndromeInfoExchange] This group..........

I've gotten alot of flack for my political beliefs, the disclaimer for this site was even sent to me. But can I share with ya'll the rest of the description? But before I do, please know that I DO support our troops whatever soil they are........"Are you looking for a list that offers 'one stop shopping' ? Are you tired of joining list after list in an effort to cover all your bases??Would you like to talk to other parents about conditions that your child may have such as a congenital heart defect(CHD), gastroesphogeal reflux disease (GERD, hypothyroidism, etc.? Do you enjoy reading posts about medical abstracts/research, vitamin supplements , alternative and traditional medicine along with potty training advice, a shoulder to cry and a place to brag?? Would you enjoy a list that allows for ALL viewpoints to be discussed in a civil manner and assumes parents have the ability to chose the BEST options to help their child develop and grow?Are you the type of person who welcomes all sides so as to have as much information as possible to make intelligent choices in all areas? Do you like to ask lots of questions and can you be open to listen to everyone experiences with out judging, and tolerate honest probing about your standpoint?Then we have the list for you!!!Our goal is to offer a place where you can ask about everything related to Down syndrome(DS, Trisomy 21) and discuss anything as long as it's done in a civil manner. We want to encourage people to bring their viewpoints and experiences to the list so there are many choices as all the kids are different, and what works for one, may not work for all.We aim to build and maintain a comprehensive file page that will make navigating the web for informative sites easier. We will work to have basic information in an easy to find file section along with items you can use to teach your child and yourself.Disclaimer- This list will operate from a pro-life standpoint. All are welcome :-) we just want you to aware of our bias up-front"Now, with that said - I'm a mom of 5 kids. Ages 22 - 11. My stepson has DS. He is now 15 years old and is considered "profoundly mentally handicapped" here in the state of Florida. He not only has DS, but he has also been diagnosed with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, a gait disorder, he's non-verbal, has a seizure disorder, had an AV repair at 8 months old, he has a severe finger picking disorder resulting in numerous staph and MRSA infections causing hospitalizations, he has Dandy and requires an MRI every 6 months to ensure that it hasn't gotten worse. We got custody when he was 10 after being removed from his biological mom's care b/c of severe abuse and neglect. When he came to us, he was still drinking out of a bottle, eating baby food and drinking formula - which was fed to him, he didn't walk or communicate at all and she kept him in a closet at night b/c he doesn't sleep and she needed to make sure that she did. Since coming to us, he has learned to walk, is communicating, is feeding himself the same foods as the rest of us in the family and enjoys things we never thought he would, AND we are making progress in the "sleep" department. I work in a skilled nursing facility and advocate strongly for people with disabilities. I run a local support group for families that have children with various disabilities and volunteer in many different facets of the "disability" field. Now, if anyone wants to talk to me about my beautiful children, my wonderful husband, and some really cool aspects of my life.....hey drop me a line. If you still feel that my politics are out of sync with those of this group, therefore making a person feel uncomfortable about expressing their beliefs/views/opinions, etc, let me know.......I'll move on.~Jacqui

[Guest guest]

All I can say is that I think globally (meaning, I have to look at

EVERYTHING - if the price of gas/food continues to rise, I won't be

able to support my own children, let alone fight for the cause of the

unborn - how can we continue to bring these babies into the world

without fixing everything else, also - this is why I don't believe in

voting for a candidate based on ONE issue) - abortion is an important

topic, however.....I'm afraid if it is outlawed, we'll go back to back

alley abortions.

>

> Jacqui-

>

> I think that sometimes people email privately because they don’t

want to embarrass the person by posting their message on the listserv

(kind of the ‘Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee,

go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear

thee, thou hast gained thy brother.’ 18:15….

>

>

>

> Everyone is welcome here…but we are very upfront about this being

a pro life listserv, so don’t be surprised that people responded to

your comments they way they did(me included)

>

> I am glad that you decided to stick around and discuss this rather

than leave the list because people disagreed with you.

>

> I think that we can have honest debates here on the ‘hard’

topics without getting nasty (on either ‘side’)

>

> Yes, abortion is a ‘sad’ topic…but it is not going to go

away….we have to deal with it, because babies are dying every day .

If a foreign nation took over our country and forced the women to have

abortions, we would be up in arms against them (I hope) Yet here we

are…millions of babies dead due to abortion…and it is all

completely ‘legal’…we are not only allowing it to happen, many

people are reluctant to speak out against it because they don’t want

to ‘upset’ anyone. Even if I personally would never have an

abortion, if I vote for someone who is promising that s/he will expand

abortion ‘rights ‘(or even support the status quo of abortion

‘rights’), I believe that I would be complicit in the deaths of

the babies that will die as a result.

>

> I will confess that you(and others who have said the same thing)

have me scratching my head to figure out how someone who is pro life

can vote for a person who has a record of being so aggressively

pro-abortion. To my way of thinking, pro life means that you don’t

see a baby as a ‘choice’ or a ‘decision’ (especially once the

woman is pregnant) You don’t toss aside the rights of the unborn

because you want better education or health care or whatever for your

own child. Either it is a child, or it isn’t. We can’t have it

both ways, although people have succeeded in muddying up the waters by

doing fancy footwork with the terminology…for example….’fetus’

is just the Latin word for ‘unborn childâ€â€¦it doesn’t mean

‘product of conception’ ..it is a child. It is bizarre when you

stop to think about it…if a woman *wants* a child, she celebrates

when she finds out she is pregnant with her baby…if she doesn’t

want it, or finds out later in the pregnancy that there is something

‘wrong’ with the baby, then the unborn child (fetus) somehow

magically morphs into a ‘choice’, and people who think of

themselves as ‘non judgmental’ say that although they would never

have an abortion, they support ‘reproductive choice’..where is the

baby in all of this? How about the baby’s choice??

>

>

>

> I don’t understand how anyone can weight education/economy

/anything else against a baby’s basic right to live, and come out on

the side that the other things trump the child’s right to even be

born? How can it be that we have the right to sacrifice a child’s

life in the hopes that our own children will have a better education?

Why does it have to be one or the other? Our politicians are a

reflection of their constituents…most of them will pretty much do or

say ANYTHING in order to get elected. Promising people the moon with a

fence around it is easy…have they told you where they are going to

get the money for all of the stuff that they are promising? Wouldn’t

it be awful to sell out the unborn only to find out that all of the

other promises were empty?

>

> I just honestly don’t see how God will bless a nation with

prosperity if we keep on with the wholesale slaughter of the unborn.

>

> And I also want to say that this topic will not be shut down just

because it may make people uncomfortable to talk about it…those that

want to read and participate..fine..those that don’t…please just

delete;-)

>

> Thank you

>

> KathyR

>

>

>

>

>

>

> -- *[DownSyndromeInfoExchange] This group..........

>

>

>

> I've gotten alot of flack for my political beliefs, the disclaimer

> for this site was even sent to me. But can I share with ya'll the

> rest of the description? But before I do, please know that I DO

> support our troops whatever soil they are........

>

> " Are you looking for a list that offers 'one stop shopping' ? Are you

> tired of joining list after list in an effort to cover all your

> bases??

>

> Would you like to talk to other parents about conditions that your

> child may have such as a congenital heart defect(CHD),

> gastroesphogeal reflux disease (GERD, hypothyroidism, etc.? Do you

> enjoy reading posts about medical abstracts/research, vitamin

> supplements , alternative and traditional medicine along with potty

> training advice, a shoulder to cry and a place to brag?? Would you

> enjoy a list that allows for ALL viewpoints to be discussed in a

> civil manner and assumes parents have the ability to chose the BEST

> options to help their child develop and grow?

>

> Are you the type of person who welcomes all sides so as to have as

> much information as possible to make intelligent choices in all

> areas? Do you like to ask lots of questions and can you be open to

> listen to everyone experiences with out judging, and tolerate honest

> probing about your standpoint?

>

> Then we have the list for you!!!

>

> Our goal is to offer a place where you can ask about everything

> related to Down syndrome(DS, Trisomy 21) and discuss anything as long

> as it's done in a civil manner. We want to encourage people to bring

> their viewpoints and experiences to the list so there are many

> choices as all the kids are different, and what works for one, may

> not work for all.

>

> We aim to build and maintain a comprehensive file page that will make

> navigating the web for informative sites easier. We will work to have

> basic information in an easy to find file section along with items

> you can use to teach your child and yourself.

>

> Disclaimer- This list will operate from a pro-life standpoint. All

> are welcome :-) we just want you to aware of our bias up-front "

>

> Now, with that said - I'm a mom of 5 kids. Ages 22 - 11. My stepson

> has DS. He is now 15 years old and is considered " profoundly

> mentally handicapped " here in the state of Florida. He not only has

> DS, but he has also been diagnosed with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, a

> gait disorder, he's non-verbal, has a seizure disorder, had an AV

> repair at 8 months old, he has a severe finger picking disorder

> resulting in numerous staph and MRSA infections causing

> hospitalizations, he has Dandy and requires an MRI every 6

> months to ensure that it hasn't gotten worse. We got custody when he

> was 10 after being removed from his biological mom's care b/c of

> severe abuse and neglect. When he came to us, he was still drinking

> out of a bottle, eating baby food and drinking formula - which was

> fed to him, he didn't walk or communicate at all and she kept him in

> a closet at night b/c he doesn't sleep and she needed to make sure

> that she did. Since coming to us, he has learned to walk, is

> communicating, is feeding himself the same foods as the rest of us in

> the family and enjoys things we never thought he would, AND we are

> making progress in the " sleep " department.

>

> I work in a skilled nursing facility and advocate strongly for people

> with disabilities. I run a local support group for families that

> have children with various disabilities and volunteer in many

> different facets of the " disability " field.

>

> Now, if anyone wants to talk to me about my beautiful children, my

> wonderful husband, and some really cool aspects of my life.....hey

> drop me a line. If you still feel that my politics are out of sync

> with those of this group, therefore making a person feel

> uncomfortable about expressing their beliefs/views/opinions, etc, let

> me know.......I'll move on.

> ~Jacqui

>

[Guest guest]

All I can say is that I think globally (meaning, I have to look at

EVERYTHING - if the price of gas/food continues to rise, I won't be

able to support my own children, let alone fight for the cause of the

unborn - how can we continue to bring these babies into the world

without fixing everything else? also - this is why I don't believe in

voting for a candidate based on ONE issue) - abortion is an important

topic, however.....I'm afraid if it is outlawed, we'll go back to back

alley abortions.

>

> Jacqui-

>

> I think that sometimes people email privately because they don’t

want to embarrass the person by posting their message on the listserv

(kind of the ‘Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee,

go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear

thee, thou hast gained thy brother.’ 18:15….

>

>

>

> Everyone is welcome here…but we are very upfront about this being

a pro life listserv, so don’t be surprised that people responded to

your comments they way they did(me included)

>

> I am glad that you decided to stick around and discuss this rather

than leave the list because people disagreed with you.

>

> I think that we can have honest debates here on the ‘hard’

topics without getting nasty (on either ‘side’)

>

> Yes, abortion is a ‘sad’ topic…but it is not going to go

away….we have to deal with it, because babies are dying every day .

If a foreign nation took over our country and forced the women to have

abortions, we would be up in arms against them (I hope) Yet here we

are…millions of babies dead due to abortion…and it is all

completely ‘legal’…we are not only allowing it to happen, many

people are reluctant to speak out against it because they don’t want

to ‘upset’ anyone. Even if I personally would never have an

abortion, if I vote for someone who is promising that s/he will expand

abortion ‘rights ‘(or even support the status quo of abortion

‘rights’), I believe that I would be complicit in the deaths of

the babies that will die as a result.

>

> I will confess that you(and others who have said the same thing)

have me scratching my head to figure out how someone who is pro life

can vote for a person who has a record of being so aggressively

pro-abortion. To my way of thinking, pro life means that you don’t

see a baby as a ‘choice’ or a ‘decision’ (especially once the

woman is pregnant) You don’t toss aside the rights of the unborn

because you want better education or health care or whatever for your

own child. Either it is a child, or it isn’t. We can’t have it

both ways, although people have succeeded in muddying up the waters by

doing fancy footwork with the terminology…for example….’fetus’

is just the Latin word for ‘unborn childâ€â€¦it doesn’t mean

‘product of conception’ ..it is a child. It is bizarre when you

stop to think about it…if a woman *wants* a child, she celebrates

when she finds out she is pregnant with her baby…if she doesn’t

want it, or finds out later in the pregnancy that there is something

‘wrong’ with the baby, then the unborn child (fetus) somehow

magically morphs into a ‘choice’, and people who think of

themselves as ‘non judgmental’ say that although they would never

have an abortion, they support ‘reproductive choice’..where is the

baby in all of this? How about the baby’s choice??

>

>

>

> I don’t understand how anyone can weight education/economy

/anything else against a baby’s basic right to live, and come out on

the side that the other things trump the child’s right to even be

born? How can it be that we have the right to sacrifice a child’s

life in the hopes that our own children will have a better education?

Why does it have to be one or the other? Our politicians are a

reflection of their constituents…most of them will pretty much do or

say ANYTHING in order to get elected. Promising people the moon with a

fence around it is easy…have they told you where they are going to

get the money for all of the stuff that they are promising? Wouldn’t

it be awful to sell out the unborn only to find out that all of the

other promises were empty?

>

> I just honestly don’t see how God will bless a nation with

prosperity if we keep on with the wholesale slaughter of the unborn.

>

> And I also want to say that this topic will not be shut down just

because it may make people uncomfortable to talk about it…those that

want to read and participate..fine..those that don’t…please just

delete;-)

>

> Thank you

>

> KathyR

>

>

>

>

>

>

> -- *[DownSyndromeInfoExchange] This group..........

>

>

>

> I've gotten alot of flack for my political beliefs, the disclaimer

> for this site was even sent to me. But can I share with ya'll the

> rest of the description? But before I do, please know that I DO

> support our troops whatever soil they are........

>

> " Are you looking for a list that offers 'one stop shopping' ? Are you

> tired of joining list after list in an effort to cover all your

> bases??

>

> Would you like to talk to other parents about conditions that your

> child may have such as a congenital heart defect(CHD),

> gastroesphogeal reflux disease (GERD, hypothyroidism, etc.? Do you

> enjoy reading posts about medical abstracts/research, vitamin

> supplements , alternative and traditional medicine along with potty

> training advice, a shoulder to cry and a place to brag?? Would you

> enjoy a list that allows for ALL viewpoints to be discussed in a

> civil manner and assumes parents have the ability to chose the BEST

> options to help their child develop and grow?

>

> Are you the type of person who welcomes all sides so as to have as

> much information as possible to make intelligent choices in all

> areas? Do you like to ask lots of questions and can you be open to

> listen to everyone experiences with out judging, and tolerate honest

> probing about your standpoint?

>

> Then we have the list for you!!!

>

> Our goal is to offer a place where you can ask about everything

> related to Down syndrome(DS, Trisomy 21) and discuss anything as long

> as it's done in a civil manner. We want to encourage people to bring

> their viewpoints and experiences to the list so there are many

> choices as all the kids are different, and what works for one, may

> not work for all.

>

> We aim to build and maintain a comprehensive file page that will make

> navigating the web for informative sites easier. We will work to have

> basic information in an easy to find file section along with items

> you can use to teach your child and yourself.

>

> Disclaimer- This list will operate from a pro-life standpoint. All

> are welcome :-) we just want you to aware of our bias up-front "

>

> Now, with that said - I'm a mom of 5 kids. Ages 22 - 11. My stepson

> has DS. He is now 15 years old and is considered " profoundly

> mentally handicapped " here in the state of Florida. He not only has

> DS, but he has also been diagnosed with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, a

> gait disorder, he's non-verbal, has a seizure disorder, had an AV

> repair at 8 months old, he has a severe finger picking disorder

> resulting in numerous staph and MRSA infections causing

> hospitalizations, he has Dandy and requires an MRI every 6

> months to ensure that it hasn't gotten worse. We got custody when he

> was 10 after being removed from his biological mom's care b/c of

> severe abuse and neglect. When he came to us, he was still drinking

> out of a bottle, eating baby food and drinking formula - which was

> fed to him, he didn't walk or communicate at all and she kept him in

> a closet at night b/c he doesn't sleep and she needed to make sure

> that she did. Since coming to us, he has learned to walk, is

> communicating, is feeding himself the same foods as the rest of us in

> the family and enjoys things we never thought he would, AND we are

> making progress in the " sleep " department.

>

> I work in a skilled nursing facility and advocate strongly for people

> with disabilities. I run a local support group for families that

> have children with various disabilities and volunteer in many

> different facets of the " disability " field.

>

> Now, if anyone wants to talk to me about my beautiful children, my

> wonderful husband, and some really cool aspects of my life.....hey

> drop me a line. If you still feel that my politics are out of sync

> with those of this group, therefore making a person feel

> uncomfortable about expressing their beliefs/views/opinions, etc, let

> me know.......I'll move on.

> ~Jacqui

>