A little hope and a higher expectation can change a life!

“When we first got Ivy’s prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, I’ll admit that at first I let the world tell me who she would be. I gave in to the lie that her life would be hard. That she wouldn’t have any opportunities. That she would live with us forever. It was right around that time that she started to kick her little legs inside of my belly. Those tiny nudges were exactly what I needed to snap me out of my grief. My tiny girl needed me. She needed a mom who believed in her and was ready to fight for her. So I reached out. I used social media and our local Down syndrome association to find families like ours. What I saw was the very opposite of what society told me would be true. I saw beautiful lives. Families who were thriving. Children with Down syndrome who were in school, dance classes, and on soccer teams with their typical peers. I knew then that everything would be ok. The far future with our little girl still scared me, but I put that out of my mind to deal with the present.

It was when I met my friend Lindsey who has two girls, one rocking an extra chromosome, that I was introduced to Ruby’s Rainbow. Lindsey told me about her birth diagnosis of sweet Natalie and she told me that one of the first things she said to her husband was “She’s going to go to college!” I can remember listening to her story and thinking that it was a long shot to dream for college. Then she told me about RR and I started following their account. What I saw there brought me a hope and joy that I can’t quite explain. Young adults with Down syndrome attending college. Working jobs that they loved. Living in dorms with their peers. Valued members of their communities. Ruby’s Rainbow changed my entire view on what is possible for people with Down syndrome or any intellectual disability. It was the beginning of a huge change in my life. A relearning of what I have internalized about people with disabilities. I can still remember defiantly telling my own husband that Ivy was going to go to college and rock it!

I’m so thankful that Liz started this amazing organization. That Ruby inspired her to dream big. That Ivy made me a part of this amazing tribe. That our world is made better by people with Down syndrome! We will continue to shout their worth and show the world that there is NOTHING down about Down syndrome!”

Lindsay ‘Lochner’ Filcik thank you for sharing your story and your beautiful lil’ lady with us!! Keep dreaming BIG!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

#iamrubysrainbow #rubysrainbow #downsyndromeawarenessmonth