Our son Hudson was born on October 26, 2011 and diagnosed with Down syndrome, hirschsprungs disease and a heart condition at birth. We were 25 years old and he was our first baby. We fell in love with him instantly and when we were told about his diagnoses it was very unexpected, especially when they took him to the NICU where he stayed for six weeks.
There were moments where he fought to just survive, and when he was two weeks old he was air-lifted to STL Children’s hospital. We prayed we would get to bring him home and love him – those were the hardest and scariest moments of our lives. He has been through multiple surgeries and hospital stays but today, he is a healthy, thriving five-year-old little boy.
He makes our lives brighter everyday through the way he LOVES his life and everyone in it – a hug from Hudson is like winning the lottery – it just doesn’t get any better.
In the past five years we have met some of the most amazing families and individuals with Down syndrome who have helped us along the way. We are incredibly thankful for our journey and unexpected blessings. Hudson has brought us so much joy and he is an amazing gift to our family.
When we learned about Ruby’s Rainbow we were so inspired by the stories of individuals with Down syndrome going to college and getting jobs in their communities. For us, these stories gave us so much hope and excitement. The future is bright and the world is changing to become a more loving, accepting and inclusive place for everyone!
I just love the way that Rachel Heinz and her loving family have share the love and the blessing of Hudson’s life to everyone around them. Rachel is an incredible woman that I’m blessed to know. Thank you for sharing your story with us, for fighting to make a better future not only for Hudson but every child in this world with or without a disability or a diagnoses. I pray that my children have the blessing of having friends from all paths of life, their lives would be greatly enriched. Keep on inspiring!