Weston
Weston, pictured here at 2 months old, was born in Tampa, Florida just before his twin Colbie, who does not have Down syndrome. The two are an inseparable duo! Weston's pastimes include "staring at his twin," and smiling at and "talking" to his parents and older sister Sienna. It's clear from meeting them that Weston is already right at home.
As is common with new diagnoses, it was difficult at first for the family to come to terms with the news of Weston's extra chromosome. Brittan says that prior to his birth, they "knew nothing about Down Syndrome. We can honestly say that like any disability diagnosis, you are afraid just by the word 'disability' and all that can mean."
Through the encouragement of online support groups, Brittan's and her husband Jon's fears were eased:
"Take it one day at a time. Grieve the diagnosis you’ve received and grieve the life you thought you were going to have. But we promise you this—when you hold your baby for the first time, you will see that nothing is different, and you will laugh at how hard you cried.”
They kept this advice close to heart.
Brittan says, "We created relationships and friendships—from afar—in our new community. For Jon, he had someone from his dads' support group take the time and call him to talk to him about everything, right after we received our diagnosis. He sat with Jon for well over an hour on the phone discussing what it's like to have a child with DS. That call was everything for Jon. The support and words of encouragement were a pivotal point for him. After that call he truly felt more at ease with everything."
"I was the same way; I have stayed in constant connection with moms that first reached out to me. Those individuals may never know how much we appreciate the support they provided."
We're grateful for the kind of connectedness within this community that the Tech Era has made possible— it's introduced us to many of you and brought together countless amazing families like Weston's. What a gift! We're glad you're here.
