Cati's mom, Mike's sweetheart, Christopher, Clint, & Warner's Nana. Al and Montie's daughter. Native Texan.Saved by grace, redeemed by Jesus, and loved by God.
I returned to Monticello, the home of our third president, Thomas Jefferson. I’ve visited many times before; my last visit was about 15 years ago, when I decided I could no longer tolerate their increasingly hostile, woke narrative about Jefferson.
The NGO that operates Monticello is an example of institutional capture. It has embraced and actively promotes a woke agenda. Several friends of mine have come away with similar conclusions after visiting.
That said, I still encourage people to visit this remarkable historic site. Monticello remains one of the most important and fascinating places in American history. Visitors, especially parents, should simply be aware of what they may encounter here.
After an accomplishment filled week by President Trump, I have the pleasure of reading a piece of Friday fiction, courtesy of the Daily Mail.
To be crystal clear, I am not going anywhere. I am honored and proud to serve President Trump, proud of our team and remain fully committed to advancing his agenda on behalf of the American people.
Some in the media have spent a decade trying to manufacture drama around President Trump and people who work for him. They were wrong then, and they are wrong now.
See you Monday.
There’s no way to separate the truth of the dignity and humanity of so many precious loved ones from the cruel discrimination of abortion. It always hits personally -- praying all who see will understand this.
Valentina & the Duffys are so loved. Thank you for sharing your light with the world.
This is Samie, our miracle child. Some of you know her, some don’t. My nephew and his wife were told that three months into the pregnancy, Samie had a heart condition (true), probably Down syndrome (not true). They never wavered, and look at this beautiful child.
Claiming you are killing your child with Down syndrome to spare him suffering is total self-delusion. You have no right to kill a child. And children with Down syndrome can live beautiful, full lives just like any of us. Murdering a child with disabilities is never the answer.
My son has Downs. Yes, he had a heart defect. Yes, he had heart surgery. Yes, it was hard.
He's also in physical and speech therapy.
Guess what? He loves his life and he's the absolute best.
You don't get to kill your kid because it takes more work to raise them, you monster.
Very proud of our 6-year-old daughter Natalie, who has Trisomy 21, a.k.a. Down Syndrome. Is it sometimes tough raising a child with special needs? Of course, but the world is a kinder, gentler & happier place because of people like Nat. We love her! #NATitude
Anyone who has (or has had) a person with Down syndrome in their life knows they’re truly a gift from God.
There are no happier, more loving, or kinder people than those with Down syndrome.
I'm really not enjoying the way people are talking about disabled children and I'm going to remind you that your perfectly healthy kid could become disabled at any moment, literally overnight, and no amount of NIPTs or screenings could've predicted it, and then what will you do?
This is exactly why I do what I do.
This is why Team Iron Will exists — not just for my son, but for every family who has ever been made to feel like their child was a mistake.
Iron Will is five years old. He laughs at everything — including my jokes. He already has more fight in him than most adults I know.
Comments like this say everything about the person writing them — and nothing about the people they're written against. And they are exactly why I will never stop fighting.
Not with anger. With purpose.
Because Iron Will, and every person with Down syndrome, deserves a world where their existence isn't up for debate. Where their value isn't reduced to a calculation by strangers online. Where no one gets to decide whether they should have been allowed to live.
I'm his father. And I will spend every breath I have making sure the world he grows up in looks nothing like the one this comment represents.
That's not a threat. That's a promise.
#IronWill #TeamIronWill #DownSyndromeAdvocacy #SayYesToPossibility
This week, Jesse Ridgeway and his wife decided to terminate her pregnancy because genetic testing showed their unborn child had Trisomy 21. It's said that 90% of parents, when faced with this news, choose option A, termination.
Twenty tree years ago, my wife and I chose option B, the road less travelled. The first point I want to make is that I am not here to judge anyone for their decision. It is the most excruciating and personal decision making process that you can think of. Every hope and dream you ever had about your life with this child is turned on its head and questioned. What ever happened to "Do not judge lest ye be judged"? That holds for whatever the decision is.
Medical costs, the stress and frustration of teaching someone who learns differently, the challenge of breaking through social stigma. Yep there are lots of challenges for the parents. For us, personally though, it came down to the fact we had the means to support this child and this child and all the children like him deserve to exist. It wasn't so much a religious question as a question of humanity. Imagine living life knowing most people don't think you should exist!
We as parents have learned a lot the past 23 years. We've learned that people with Down Syndrome can learn. I've often thought to myself that maybe it's not so much a learning disability as it is a teaching disability. That not an indictment of teachers in any way, it's just that we tend to try and teach the way we were taught and many times that just doesn't work with kids who have Down Syndrome.
Our son has had some real medical issues. Low muscle tone, central auditory processing issues and a bout with Leukemia. The leukemia caused him to develop a stutter and he can sometimes have difficulty getting his point across, but that doesn't mean he can't teach others not to judge a book by its cover. He was reading by the age of 4 and can memorize long passages of text. If you ask him when a particular event happened, he won't just tell you the date but he'll text you the Dropbox link to the pictures.
He's seen more of the world than most people and he's been to every major league ballpark in America as well as the World Series. Baseball is his passion. He'll read us the injury reports and summarize his baseball podcasts for us. Nobody is a better fan of the game.
The things he injects into the world can't be monetized but they do have value. He can assess emotional needs and come out with just the right line to make someone's day. "You're the best cashier ever!".or "You sure look pretty today". While under treatment for Leukemia, he always had a joke for the doctors and nurses.
Yes, he has issues, we all have issues, but he also has a life, as imperfect as it may seem to others, it's still his life and he's enjoying it.
People with Down Syndrome shine a light on everything that's good in the world. They have a purpose.
See @joewillage