RE: Mother of Child with Down Syndrome is McCain's chosen one!

August 30, 2008

There's been a huge amount of discussion on this selection on another DS listserv I'm on -- mostly very positive with regard to all the positive PR she could lend to having a child with DS, the opportunity to educate the press (e.g., Charlie Gibson referred to Trig as a "down syndrome baby"). However, it's not the fact that she has the child that is so critical but rather whether she leverages this fact to benefit individuals with disabilities -- something we have yet to see. I also heard that she says that her son "doesn't have the facial features" characteristic of individuals w/DS (which doesn't rest well with me).

Sheryl Knapp Literacy Advocates 10 Wall Street

Norwalk, CT 06850

www.literacyadvocates.com

Norwalk Ridgefield

Fax

Introduction

Hello to everyone. We have enjoyed reading all the posts this last year and have found the group extremely informative. We have 20 month old boy twins (ds) and Liam. Tommy will behappy to tell you that he is 12 minuts older than Liam. Tommy also has Hirschsprung' s disease (he had 5 inches of his colon removed and reconnected thru what is termed a pull thru surgery). Tommy had an NG tube for his first 10 months of life and now has a Gtube. He uses sign lanugage to communicate, can sign more, eat, itsy bitsy spider song, dog and

happy. He is one of four of our children and continues to be our inspiration and joy. Liam is a healthy little toddler and LOVES his brother, many times walking over to Tommy andrubbing his brothers back.We look forward to checking this message board often. Our current questions are: does anyone use daycare with their kiddos that have ds? does anyone else have gtubes? kinda curious about granulation tissue issues with that. Lots of love to everyone, Sandi McMillan (wife to Colin, momma to Hannah 14, 13, (Ds and HD pull thru) and Liam (almost2 years). www.tommyupdate. blogspot.

com

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August 30, 2008

I have no opinion of her either way, but I will say that perhaps it is just part of her grieving and acceptance process, imagine having to do that under the scrutiny of the media?

Think of her as any other woman; a mother like us, and what she is going through accepting her new life with a child born with Down syndrome. I knew many women who said the same thing to me "But they don't even look like they have Down syndrome" after the birth of their child. I joined a group of mothers with 2-3 month old infants and we all discussed our feelings during the early months, I don't see Mrs Palin's as being all that different than ours.

Hugs, Kris

Please click the picture to visit Meghan's blog, Kara and 's are linked to hers.

Very interesting! I don’t know anything about Gov. Palin so I just googled her. The story that came up first about her being chosen for VP had a brief bio about her including that she has a child who “suffers from Down’s syndrome.” Hopefully that isn’t the tone/language they use when talking about her family during the campaign! I’m sure we’ll be learning lots more about her in the coming months…

Eileen

Mom to Owen-6, Maeve-4, Colin (Ds) and -9mos

From: Multiples-DS@ yahoogroups. com [mailto:Multiples- DSyahoogroups (DOT) com]On Behalf Of Joyce FledderjohannSent: Friday, August 29, 2008 12:08 PMTo: multiples-ds@ yahoogroups. comSubject: RE: Mother of Down Syndrome Child is McCain's chosen

one!

I just saw that Palin is McCain's choice! She just had a Down Syndrome child earlier this year and she's the Govenor of Alaska. I couldn't help but be a big mouth to this site, since I'm the mom to three Down Syndrome kids! Joycewife to Mike 33 wonderful yearsmom to seven-32, Leah-31, Mikey-27, -DS- 25, -22, -15-DS, and -11- DS/Autism

To: Multiples-DS@ yahoogroups. comFrom: igercakcfl (DOT) rr.comDate: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:01:50 -0400Subject: Re: Introduction

Hello Sandi,

Sounds like a busy house. 20 months is alot of fun. I hope you

will find the answers to all you questions, here and in the future.

Irene

ZackDS/ADHD, , & 10

Jake 12

Introduction

Hello to everyone. We have enjoyed reading all the posts this last year and have found the group extremely informative. We have 20 month old boy twins (ds) and Liam. Tommy will behappy to tell you that he is 12 minuts older than Liam. Tommy also has Hirschsprung' s disease (he had 5 inches of his colon removed and reconnected thru what is termed a pull thru surgery). Tommy had an NG tube for his first 10 months of life and now has a Gtube. He uses sign lanugage to communicate, can sign more, eat, itsy bitsy spider song, dog

and happy. He is one of four of our children and continues to be our inspiration and joy. Liam is a healthy little toddler and LOVES his brother, many times walking over to Tommy andrubbing his brothers back.We look forward to checking this message board often. Our current questions are: does anyone use daycare with their kiddos that have ds? does anyone else have gtubes? kinda curious about granulation tissue issues with that. Lots of love to everyone, Sandi McMillan (wife to Colin, momma to Hannah 14, 13, (Ds and HD pull thru) and Liam (almost2 years). www.tommyupdate.

blogspot. com

Talk to your Yahoo! Friends via Windows Live Messenger. Find Out How

August 30, 2008

It is definitely going to be interesting to see what happens.There's been a huge amount of discussion on this selection on another DS listserv I'm on -- mostly very positive with regard to all the positive PR she could lend to having a child with DS, the opportunity to educate the press (e.g., Charlie Gibson referred to Trig as a "down syndrome baby"). However, it's not the fact that she has the child that is so critical but rather whether she leverages this fact to benefit individuals with disabilities -- something we have yet to see. I also heard that she says that her son "doesn't have the facial features" characteristic of individuals w/DS (which doesn't rest well with me). Sheryl Knapp Literacy Advocates 10 Wall StreetNorwalk, CT 06850www.literacyadvocates.com Norwalk Ridgefield Fax Introduction Hello to everyone. We have enjoyed reading all the posts this last year and have found the group extremely informative. We have 20 month old boy twins (ds) and Liam. Tommy will behappy to tell you that he is 12 minuts older than Liam. Tommy also has Hirschsprung' s disease (he had 5 inches of his colon removed and reconnected thru what is termed a pull thru surgery). Tommy had an NG tube for his first 10 months of life and now has a Gtube. He uses sign lanugage to communicate, can sign more, eat, itsy bitsy spider song, dog and happy. He is one of four of our children and continues to be our inspiration and joy. Liam is a healthy little toddler and LOVES his brother, many times walking over to Tommy andrubbing his brothers back.We look forward to checking this message board often. Our current questions are: does anyone use daycare with their kiddos that have ds? does anyone else have gtubes? kinda curious about granulation tissue issues with that. Lots of love to everyone, Sandi McMillan (wife to Colin, momma to Hannah 14, 13, (Ds and HD pull thru) and Liam (almost2 years). www.tommyupdate. blogspot. com Talk to your Yahoo! Friends via Windows Live Messenger. Find Out How

August 30, 2008

In this April 23, 2008 file photo, Alaska Gov. Palin, left, and her husband, Todd Palin, hold their baby boy Trig in Anchorage, Alaska. The Palin's fifth child was born with Down syndrome, a genetic abnormality that impedes physical, intellectual and language development. (AP Photo/Al Grillo)I don't know if I believe Palin said her son didn't have the facial features of a baby with ds. If this picture comes through you can difinitely tell he has ds. Judy, 's Mom

Introduction

Hello to everyone. We have enjoyed reading all the posts this last year and have found the group extremely informative. We have 20 month old boy twins (ds) and Liam. Tommy will behappy to tell you that he is 12 minuts older than Liam. Tommy also has Hirschsprung' s disease (he had 5 inches of his colon removed and reconnected thru what is termed a pull thru surgery). Tommy had an NG tube for his first 10 months of life and now has a Gtube. He uses sign lanugage to communicate, can sign more, eat, itsy bitsy spider song, dog and

happy. He is one of four of our children and continues to be our inspiration and joy. Liam is a healthy little toddler and LOVES his brother, many times walking over to Tommy andrubbing his brothers back.We look forward to checking this message board often. Our current questions are: does anyone use daycare with their kiddos that have ds? does anyone else have gtubes? kinda curious about granulation tissue issues with that. Lots of love to everyone, Sandi McMillan (wife to Colin, momma to Hannah 14, 13, (Ds and HD pull thru) and Liam (almost2 years). www.tommyupdate. blogspot.

com

Talk to your Yahoo! Friends via Windows Live Messenger. Find Out How

August 31, 2008

My hope is that she will address it publicly because what I find grotesquese are the comments like, 'she found out the child was afflicted with down sydrome and she went ahead with the pregnancy anyway.' It is that mentallity that holds our children back. As far as her saying he does not have the facial features.....they showed a newborn shot of him and he looked exactly like my , and if you look at my pics, has them! (and he is beautiful!) I have high hopes for Gov. Palin and I hope she does right by our children.

a

mom to Meg14,Jack11,Lucy7,(DS) and almost 3 OMG!

Re: Mother of Child with Down Syndrome is McCain's chosen one!

There's been a huge amount of discussion on this selection on another DS listserv I'm on -- mostly very positive with regard to all the positive PR she could lend to having a child with DS, th

e opportunity to educate the press (e.g., Charlie Gibson referred to Trig as a "down syndrome baby"). However, it's not the fact that she has the child that is so critical but rather whether she leverages this fact to benefit individuals with disabilities -- something we have yet to see. I also heard that she says that her son "doesn't have the facial features" characteristic of individuals w/DS (which doesn't rest well with me).

Sheryl Knapp

Literacy Advocates

10 Wall Street

Norwalk, CT 06850

www.literacyadvocates.com

Norwalk

Ridgefield

Fax

Introduction

Hello to everyone. We have enjoyed reading all the posts this last

year and have found the group extremely informative.

We have 20 month old boy twins (ds) and Liam. Tommy will be

happy to tell you that he is 12 minuts older than Liam. Tommy also

has Hirschsprung' s disease (he had 5 inches of his colon removed and

reconnected thru what is termed a pull thru surgery). Tommy had an

NG tube for his first 10 months of life and now has a Gtube. He

uses sign lanugage to communicate, can sign more, eat, itsy bitsy

spider song, dog and happy. He is one of four of our children and

continues to be our inspiration and joy. Liam is a healthy little

toddler and LOVES his brother, many times walking over to Tommy and

rubbing his brothers back.

We look forw

ard to checking this message board often. Our current

questions are: does anyone use daycare with their kiddos that have

ds? does anyone else have gtubes? kinda curious about granulation

tissue issues with that.

Lots of love to everyone, Sandi McMillan (wife to Colin, momma to

Hannah 14, 13, (Ds and HD pull thru) and Liam (almost

2 years). www.tommyupdate. blogspot. com

Talk to your Yahoo! Friends via Windows Live Messenger. Find Out How

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August 31, 2008

I agree with

you, Kris. My mother insisted that Caelia didn’t have “those” features for 2

years. You see, Caelia and I have the same baby picture. J

Sheila

From: Multiples-DS

[mailto:Multiples-DS ] On

Behalf Of Kris L

Sent: Saturday, August 30, 2008 2:26 PM

To: Multiples-DS

Subject: Re: Mother

of Child with Down Syndrome is McCain's chosen one!

I have no opinion of her either way, but I will say

that perhaps it is just part of her grieving and acceptance process, imagine

having to do that under the scrutiny of the media?

Think of her as any other woman; a

mother like us, and what she is going through accepting her new life with a

child born with Down syndrome. I knew many women who said the same thing to

me " But they don't even look like they have Down syndrome " after

the birth of their child. I joined a group of mothers with 2-3 month old

infants and we all discussed our feelings during the early months, I don't

see Mrs Palin's as being all that different than ours.

Hugs, Kris

Please click the picture to visit Meghan's

blog, Kara and 's are linked to hers.

Very interesting! I don’t know

anything about Gov. Palin so I just googled her. The story that came up

first about her being chosen for VP had a brief bio about her including that

she has a child who “suffers from Down’s syndrome.” Hopefully that

isn’t the tone/language they use when talking about her family during the

campaign! I’m sure we’ll be learning lots more about her in the coming

months…

Eileen

Mom to Owen-6, Maeve-4, Colin (Ds) and

-9mos

From: Multiples-DS@ yahoogroups. com [mailto:Multiples-

DSyahoogroups (DOT) com]On Behalf Of Joyce Fledderjohann

Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008 12:08 PM

To: multiples-ds@ yahoogroups. com

Subject: RE: Mother of Down

Syndrome Child is McCain's chosen one!

I just saw that Palin is McCain's choice! She just had a

Down Syndrome child earlier this year and she's the Govenor of Alaska.

I couldn't help but be a big mouth to this site, since I'm the mom to three

Down Syndrome kids!

Joyce

wife to Mike 33 wonderful years

mom to seven

-32, Leah-31, Mikey-27, -DS- 25, -22, -15-DS, and -11- DS/Autism

To: Multiples-DS@ yahoogroups. com

From: igercakcfl (DOT) rr.com

Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:01:50 -0400

Subject: Re: Introduction

Hello

Sandi,

Sounds

like a busy house. 20 months is alot of fun. I hope you

will find

the answers to all you questions, here and in the future.

Irene

ZackDS/ADHD,

, & 10

Jake 12

-----

Original Message -----

From: sledding62

To: Multiples-DS@ yahoogroups. com

Sent: Wednesday,

August 20, 2008

1:11 PM

Subject:

Introduction

Hello to everyone. We

have enjoyed reading all the posts this last