It was Walt’s third week of being hospitalized after his open-heart surgery. Our baby boy was three months old with a ventilator tube doing all of the breathing work for him. I was sitting by his bedside in silence while he was heavily sedated. {To preface, Walt was diagnosed at birth with Down syndrome and I still knew very little about his diagnosis. Mainly being after his NICU stay and before his open-heart surgery, we tried to live the most simple life at home as a family – focusing on Walt as our son, not Walt as a diagnosis.}
While I sat in silence by Walt’s bedside, I came across Ruby’s Rainbow through an Instagram hashtag – oh the miracle of social media! I immediately connected with Liz, Ruby’s mama’s dream for her daughter – she simply wanted to give Ruby hope and a future. But don’t all parents? I quickly realized as a parent of a child with a little extra and at that moment, a child who was in critical care, I wanted more than anything to give my Walt hope and a future. I wanted more than anything for him to be healthy and happy. I wanted more than anything for him to be able to go to college. I wanted more than anything for our Walt to be independent and have self-worth.
That was the moment Ruby’s Rainbow became a piece of our Walt’s hope and his future. I shared with Trey, my husband and Walt’s daddy, the mission of Ruby’s Rainbow. For the first time since Walt’s surgery, we felt excitement and wanted to make an impact to honor Walt by participating in the 321 Pledge on World Down Syndrome Day. Guess what y’all?! Our Warriors For Walt raised close to $1,000 in one day which snowballed into raising over $6,000 – enough money to grant two $3,000 scholarships to two very special gentleman, Benton (who attends Mississippi State University) and Justin (who attends University of Central Florida).
Fast forward to today. Our precious and mighty Walt the Warrior fought a hard and long battle during recovery from open-heart surgery. On August 30, 2016, we were able to bring Walt home and let him pass away peacefully to be free from the chains of suffering. We ask ourselves daily What Would Walt Do?, and we know he would never give up. Now more than ever, we want to memorialize and honor our son with continuing to support impactful non-profits like Ruby’s Rainbow.
In November of 2016, we created the Warriors For Walt Charitable Fund with the mission to provide financial support to nonprofits creating awareness, inclusion and opportunity for individuals with special needs and giving hope to families suffering the loss of their child. Since March 21, 2016, the Warriors For Walt Charitable Fund has donated over $7,000 to Ruby’s Rainbow and made the dream of higher education a reality for young adults with Down syndrome.
We encourage you to spread the word, make the 321 Pledge and keep on rockin’ to bring awareness to the mission of Ruby’s Rainbow this March!
Oh me oh my, writing this little snippet of our journey pangs our hearts. We can’t just tell you “a little” about our journey as Team Morris and give it justice. When you have time, relive our story at WarriorsForWalt.Com/Our-Journey and ask yourself What Would Walt Do?
Walt will always hold a VERY special place in our hearts and his spirit lives on through Liz and Trey’s amazing advocacy and awareness efforts. I love scrolling through my feed and seeing Walt’s sweet face on “Walt Wednesday’s” and thinking to myself “What would Walt do?” 
Liz and Trey we love you to the moon and back. THANK YOU for sharing your story and for sharing your sweet Walt with us.