Written in February 2015
Today I was sad, thinking about all the people who don't understand and don't accept disabilities as part of life. Thinking about how much discrimination is out there. I had just read an article about how this mother wanted to give up her child because he was born with Down Syndrome, and when the dad wanted to keep the child, she divorced him. Some things like that may make you lose your faith in humanity! Then I read another one, in Portuguese, from a journalist called Silvia Pilz, who writes for one of the main newspapers in Brasil, who is very preconceived against people with disabilities (and also the poor, the black, and anything that she can cause some controversy writing about), and I just couldn't help myself! In one of her articles, she wrote (translated by me):
Today I was sad, thinking about all the people who don't understand and don't accept disabilities as part of life. Thinking about how much discrimination is out there. I had just read an article about how this mother wanted to give up her child because he was born with Down Syndrome, and when the dad wanted to keep the child, she divorced him. Some things like that may make you lose your faith in humanity! Then I read another one, in Portuguese, from a journalist called Silvia Pilz, who writes for one of the main newspapers in Brasil, who is very preconceived against people with disabilities (and also the poor, the black, and anything that she can cause some controversy writing about), and I just couldn't help myself! In one of her articles, she wrote (translated by me):
"Is the swarm of children with Down syndrome still here? They must have something to teach us. I always see reports of touched parents, as if they were blessed. God, do we have difficulty in assuming burdens!"
"Será que o enxame de crianças com síndrome de Down ainda está por aqui? Eles devem ter alguma coisa para nos ensinar. Vejo sempre relatos de pais emocionados, como se fossem abençoados. Deus, como temos dificuldade em assumir fardos!"
"Será que o enxame de crianças com síndrome de Down ainda está por aqui? Eles devem ter alguma coisa para nos ensinar. Vejo sempre relatos de pais emocionados, como se fossem abençoados. Deus, como temos dificuldade em assumir fardos!"
Burdens???? My daughter does not have Down syndrome, she has a different disability, but yes, I am blessed for having her in my life. And yes, I have learned a great deal with her. She taught me to see the world in a whole new way, to be more tolerant and more patient, to take one day at a time, to appreciate what I have, to love in a completely different way, among many other things. I can only feel sorry for Silvia, for she hasn't had the opportunity to have someone like this in her life.
One day my husband and I were in deep conversation about Gabbie. It was one of those days when we were feeling down, asking ourselves "why us", questioning our own ability of dealing with the situation at hand. "Why were we chosen to be her parents?". My answer was that I believed it was exactly for what I mentioned above, for us to learn and grow. Then he asked me "But do you believe we are the only ones who need this lesson?", to what I immediately replied "No, but maybe we are ready to receive it now."
And now, more than ever, I believe in that - Silvia Pilz desperately needs this lesson, but she is not ready to receive it, and I can only feel sorry for her.
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