Charlotte's Angels

On July 21, 2014 we were blessed with another beautiful little girl, Charlotte.  Charlotte has brought a new meaning to our lives.  In January 2014, we received confirmation that Charlotte was a T21 (Trisomy 21) Down syndrome baby.  Charlotte’s diagnosis does not define who she is instead it is a part of who she is - however, there are many challenges that our family has ahead of us and that Charlotte will face in her life.
Down syndrome occurs when some or all of a person’s cells have an extra full or partial copy of chromosome 21.  In Charlotte’s case, all of her cells have an extra copy of chromosome 21. 

Since receiving Charlotte’s diagnosis prenatally, we have become involved with various organizations including the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) and The Connecticut Down Syndrome Congress (CDSC).  The NDSS offers more awareness to society in hopes of creating a better quality of life and fewer challenges to those with Down syndrome and their families and the CDSC advocates and educates about the gifts that people with Down syndrome have and the contributions they can make to society when given the proper support.  The CDSC also helps families connect and support one another, provides training and workshops to families and professionals, as well as support to medical centers.

We thought a fun way to help with our new adventure would be to participate in the NDSS Buddy Walk – we are Charlotte’s Angels!  The Buddy Walk celebrates Down syndrome Awareness Month, which is in October, and promotes acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.  In addition to promoting acceptance and inclusion, the Buddy Walk also raises funds for local programs and services as well as national advocacy initiatives - in 2011, over $11.2 million was raised nationwide! 

We have created a GoFundMe page so that we can raise funds and increase awareness! 

If nothing else, please visit the NDSS web site or the CDSC website to find out more about Down syndrome. 

Please consider helping us support these amazing organizations!

P.S. More information about the 2016 Buddy Walk coming soon!