"Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:13
A Study In Contrast.
Last week, a father publicly proclaimed that his child — diagnosed in utero with Down syndrome — was undeserving of life. In his own words: "Down Syndrome isn't a 'blessing,' it is objectively s— from a health perspective. I didn't realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family." He called it a difficult decision. Said he was thinking of his family. "I signed on to be a parent, come what may... but I just didn't fully understand what Down Syndrome entailed." Said, thankfully, he had a choice.
And then he and his wife aborted the baby.
In September 2008, Navy veteran, husband and father Thomas Vander Woude was working on his farm in Virginia with his youngest son Joseph — who has Down syndrome, and was 20 years old at the time — when Joseph fell through a corroded cover into a septic tank eight feet deep.
Thomas didn't deliberate. He didn't hesitate. He didn't produce a video lamenting his woes, detailing his options, and farming for clicks at the expense of personhood.
He jumped into the tank.
He JUMPED INTO the damn tank. Immediately.
For fifteen minutes, submerged in sewage, Thomas pushed his son up from below, keeping Joseph's head above the muck, while his wife and a workman pulled from above. When rescue workers arrived, they pulled them both out. Joseph lived. Thomas died where he had spent so much of his life — at his son's side.
At his funeral Mass, Bishop Loverde called his dying act "truly saintly" — the crown of a whole life of self-giving.
One man decided a life with Down syndrome wasn't worth the cost. One man decided it was worth everything.
One is the personification of self-love dressed as compassion — revealed, in the end, as cowardice and discrimination.
The other is the manifestation of unconditional love, sacrifice and courage. The definition of a father.
Remember Thomas Vander Woude. And remember Joseph — who is alive today because a father believed his child's life was worth dying for.
#TeamIronWill #DownSyndromeAdvocacy #IronWill #Personhood
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“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” - Romans 5:3-4
Last week a story went viral that says a difficult life isn’t worth living. I want to offer a different perspective:
The Hard Road Is The Point.
There’s a growing lie baked into modern culture that life is supposed to be smooth. Convenient. Perfect. That if things are difficult, something’s gone wrong. That suffering is a malfunction, not a feature.
So people spend their lives optimizing for comfort. Avoiding friction and inconvenience. Looking for the shortcut, the hack, the easier path.
And they miss the whole point.
The beauty of a life well-lived isn’t found despite the struggle - it’s forged inside it. Character doesn’t grow in comfort. It grows under pressure, strain, stress and adversity. Gratitude doesn’t come from ease. It comes from having walked through something hard and making it to the other side.
The ancient understanding - the one we’ve traded for comfort - is that suffering carries meaning. That the valley isn’t a detour. It is the journey.
Truth is, when you strip away the hard parts, you don’t get a better life. You get a shallow one.
Because the rough road isn’t a sign you’re doing it wrong.
It might be the surest sign you’re doing it right.
My son Iron Will has Down syndrome. He spent his earliest months in a walker just to build the strength to stand. Every step was a fight. Every inchstone and milestone was hard won. And watching him work, really work, for things that come effortlessly to other kids didn’t break my heart. It expanded it. Because what I saw wasn’t limitation. I saw determination unencumbered by societal expectations. I saw joy that doesn’t depend on easy. I saw a little boy who gets up every single time, grins, and goes again on his own terms, at his own pace.
My brave little son didn’t teach me about suffering. He taught me what it looks like to pursue life fully - without fear, without shortcuts, and without ever being told what he can’t do.
When we decide a life will be too hard before it begins - based on the inherent limitations of our mortal understanding - we end a story before it ever has the chance to be written.
We will never tell Iron Will, or any of our children, that the hard road isn’t worth it.
Because the greatest stories ever told involve suffering that produces endurance that produces character that produces hope.
And hope changes everything.
#TeamIronWill #DownSyndromeAdvocacy #IronWill #SayYesToPossibility
So Baron is going after people that point out his flaws. I think this is illegal to call someone and harass them and their family. Basically blackmail them as well threatening to publish things online about them if they don’t do what he requested.
I would call my local police dept and the bar association. I would also call an attorney that specializes in internet issues. And here’s why, who says this is a one and done deal? What if the calls continue? I would want to see my options for stopping all further calls.
But that’s just me and Baron is an as*hole.
22 yrs ago today, after a long zoning dispute with local officials that ruined his business, welder Marvin Heemeyer had enough & created the Killdozer.
He destroyed the mayor’s house, the judge’s house, town hall, the police station, & the bank - while avoiding hurting civilians or their property.
Happy Killdozer Day to those who celebrate 🎊
Dear World,
This is our counter to the false, destructive, dehumanizing narratives being promoted by people like @McJuggerNuggets, @RichardHanania and others.
“What If” imagines a world where every person with Down syndrome is recognized as bearing the image of God. Not a burden to be managed. Not a problem to be solved. Not required to prove their value, defend their existence, or fight for the right to simply be. They are met with dignity, love and respect at every stage of life — where they belong. Fully. Without condition.
And to every person with Down syndrome, Autism, or any other condition, who may be frightened or hurt by public proclamations that you are less or unworthy or an inconvenience, and don’t deserve to live, we want you and your families to know you were created in the image and likeness of God, with purpose and possibility, and intrinsic value. We love you unconditionally — and we KNOW you have the strength and courage to push relentlessly forward!
#TeamIronWill #DownSyndromeAdvocacy #SayYesToPossibility #TheLuckyFew
Friends,
Please say yes to possibility!
EVERY DOLLAR WILL BE MATCHED: DEADLINE JUNE 30TH
Every child with Down syndrome is made in the image and likeness of God — full of purpose and possibility. Yet too many families hear "no" — no resources, no support, no way forward — at the moment they need someone to say "yes."
That's why Team Iron Will exists.
The Say Yes to Possibility Campaign is our commitment to standing in the gap — so no family walks this journey alone and each child is given every opportunity to fully realize God's design for them.
Right now, every gift is matched dollar for dollar — up to $10,000 — through June 30.
When you give, you're saying YES! and someone else is saying it with you.
If you're in a position to donate, click the link below:
https://t.co/AerHiFn0OM
And as always, please pray for the success of our mission!
Thank you!
#TeamIronWill #DownSyndromeAdvocacy #SayYesToPossibility
@upontheleft@raylehmann No, it is not unfair. To raise taxes on current homeowners would tax unrealized gains. Important to note, towns are already reaping this increase in taxes while spending all the “newfound” tax dollars. There is tremendous waste.