Ben 🇻🇦

Catholic • Husband • Pianist • Candlemaker

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

So sad. This is a good reminder to pray for all stroke victims.

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

Real talk, why do some carrots taste like that?

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

Real talk, why do some carrots taste like that?

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

Yeah, but you see, that's exactly what you did, pal

[New York Post @nypost]

YouTuber Jesse Ridgway defends decision to terminate wife’s pregnancy after Down syndrome diagnosis: I don’t want to ‘bury my son’ https://t.co/CB9GrbIims

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

@polemoskarios Uh, boo hoo for you? You don't get to kill people for that lmao

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

"Our baby might have had a decreased lifespan so we solved that problem by ensuring that he had no lifespan"

[Jesse Ridgway @McJuggerNuggets]

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. ❤️

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

@GusVague I still don't see how the math works in fast food's favor. You can realistically make 4 meals out of the ingredients on the right. 4 fast food meals would be $60. Groceries are way too overpriced, and that's morally wrong, but they are simply not more expensive than fast food.

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

Do people think the point of buying the ingredients on the right is to make one single-serve meal and then immediately throw the remaining ingredients away?

[Lancesico 🇱🇨 @Bornakang]

This doesn’t work in 2026

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

She gave us a call and said she was feeling much better. Not so much as a bruise!

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

She gave us a call and said she was feeling much better. Not so much as a bruise!

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

A 92-year-old Catholic nun accidentally fell at my workplace today. She was able to walk away, but she was complaining of shoulder and rib pain. The poor woman is also a recent breast cancer survivor. Please pray for her health and wellbeing.

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

@mwhite90309137 ? She had a full workup. At a hospital. With doctors and nurses. Should we have sent her to a different hospital?

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

A 92-year-old Catholic nun accidentally fell at my workplace today. She was able to walk away, but she was complaining of shoulder and rib pain. The poor woman is also a recent breast cancer survivor. Please pray for her health and wellbeing.

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

@TBryant84444 We are a hospital and she was attended to by the doctors and nurses

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

@JoanHaskins6 We are a hospital and she was attended to by the doctors and nurses

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

@mwhite90309137 We are a hospital and she was attended to by the doctors and nurses

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

Hot take: Diet Coke's recipe is closer to New Coke, and Coke Zero's recipe is closer to Classic Coke. Anybody who prefers Diet Coke because Coke Zero "is disgusting" or "tastes nothing like real Coca-Cola" just doesn't understand what Coca-Cola is supposed to taste like.

[The Wall Street Journal @WSJ]

As Coke Zero gets bigger, and threatens to dethrone Diet Coke as the most important diet soda property in the Coca-Cola extended universe, the feud between Diet Coke fans and Coke Zero drinkers is getting pretty fizzy. https://t.co/a5r63q8WKS

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

We could reverse the doctor shortage and its consequences in 5-10 years if we created more residency opportunities and made it easier for qualified students to attend med school

[The Wall Street Journal @WSJ]

Employers are clamoring for workers who can do doctor-like work but who are trained faster and can cost them less. https://t.co/LJKjGxhNcA

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

Why do so many people pronounce "social security" like "so-suhl security"

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

My apparently controversial take in the generational class wars is that yes, things are way too expensive and wages are way too low, and no, that does not mean that you're entitled to spend money like an idiot

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

"Less than 200k miles. All under $7k." As if that's a great bang for your buck on a bunch of 20-year-old clunkers. 10 years ago you could probably buy all four of these cars for less than $7k.

Do you people even hear yourselves?

[LibertyJ @LibertyJen]

This was legit a 5 second search on Auto Trader.
All these cars have less than 200k miles. All under $7k

[Ben 🇻🇦 @broodingcath]

Utterly bizarre resignation statement. What is going on with this company?