This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21.
The choice was not made lightly. We really appreciate all of the personal stories that you guys shared with us, especially the unconditional support we received from fans with no matter what we decided.
I know some of you may be very disappointed to hear this news. We are devastated. This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley.
She underwent the procedure earlier this week and is on the mend. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, but emotionally we are drained.
Trisomy 21, also known as Down Syndrome, is caused by an extra chromosome. It is caused by an error in cell division, like a glitch. The odds of a baby having it is 1 in 1000.
When I first confronted this news, I was shocked but optimistic. If they’re a little slow intellectually, then we’ll make it work. I signed on to be a parent, come what may…but I just didn’t fully understand what Down Syndrome entailed.
Once we made it public, it became clear that MOST people don’t know what Down Syndrome entails (and no, it’s not the same as Autism):
50% of babies with DS have heart defects. 75% will have hearing challenges. Over 50% will have vision problems. Impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, delayed physical development, poor muscle tone, structural issues with face, decreased lifespan, etc…Sadly, the list is long, feel free to look it up…Down Syndome isn’t a “blessing”, it is objectively shitty from a health perspective.
I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family…more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.
The miscarriage risk is also close to 50%, which made matters worse…they may never see the light of day and it puts Ashley further at risk.
We spoke with doctors, friends, family and genetic counselors and learned that up to 90% of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has Trisomy 21.
This was WAY higher than I expected, I thought it would be lower given that I hear so many say they kept or would keep the baby. I believe that’s because most terminations happen privately, it feels shameful. A lot of judgment being cast.
You never think you’d be in this type of situation until it happens to you and then things change.
To all of my fans who have weighed in on this topic who have Autism, Down Syndrome or any other conditions…we appreciate you. You matter a lot and we’re glad you’re here. I commend you and your families for having the strength and courage to push forward.
As for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family. Thankfully, we had a choice.
It will take a little time to move on, but we are excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome.
Love you guys & thank you for understanding. ❤️
Backrooms is racist film. It’s technically brilliant, but racist. And it’s a shame during a time where Black studies is being eliminated on college campuses because I fear people are overlooking the obvious tropes and racist callbacks the film ridiculously displays.
@thwacknicklaus I don’t understand how this is a question at all. Are you playing for money? Then the answer is you can’t move your ball. Are you playing for fun? Then move your ball bro, nobody cares.
@srjkhaan@HaterReport your information about Jesus comes from where again?Oh yeah thats right,the Torah because allah protected the scriptures and made them incorruptible…except when you guys dont like it,then its called“conscience editing”.Without lies Islam dies.Still cant solve the Islamic dilemma
@srjkhaan@HaterReport My prophet was God himself who sacrificed himself to make us clean so we could have eternal life.Your prophet is a horny pedo who raped a 9 year old and his version of eternal life is having young boys serve him wine while he continues to defile his 72 virgins over and over again
@srjkhaan@HaterReport Go ahead show me where it says she’s 3. After that go read that 200 hadiths that’s claim Aisha was 6 when married and 9 when she was raped. Allah claims he kept the scriptures pure and that they are incorruptible? Yet you heathens will claim someone corrupted the scriptures.