Ep 26 - Kate, on Raising a Child with Down Syndrome

Years ago, when I was finally able to feel a bit grounded in the world of special needs, I regularly took my two little ones to one of the local playgroups. There I met a woman, fairly new to the special needs journey, who had then introduced herself to me as Kate. In her arms was a beautiful boy named Osha. Osha was born with Down Syndrome. I remember that I would look forward to seeing her and Osha, I knew that sitting and talking with her about this new path, with both of our metaphorical legs trembling as we stepped one foot in front of the other, was a much more pleasant and nourishing way to spend the time, rather than following Freya around from one zone to the next as I watched children younger and smaller than her zoom past with abilities that at the time I could only pray for for Freya. Years later, as Kate and I have gotten steadier feet beneath us, we sat down for this talk. Kate speaks on the very crucial art of advocacy. The importance of research, documentation, reaching out to other parents, and standing up for what you as the parent know your child needs. We talk about the wrong things to say and how to properly refer to someone with a diagnosis. Kate discusses how they support Osha’s biochemistry through supplementation and we speculate as to why there is a controversy around supplementation. And then she tells us about Osha, who he is as a person, his depth of spirit and his love for singing and performing.