Many different causes claim October as their awareness month! Some of the causes near and dear to me, and Our Mourning Sickness, include Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Rhett Syndrome Awareness Month, Stillbirth & Infant Loss Awareness Month, SIDS Awareness Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month and many, many more.
I'll be sharing a fact a day over on the Our Mourning Sickness Facebook page (go give it a like, if you haven't already!), but I wanted to post one here, especially because I want to kick this month off with all the respect it deserves.
We'll start with a little bit about Down syndrome, a magical condition special to me and my family. In the US, it's estimated that only about 33% of babies with a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis are carried to term. Of the babies born with Down syndrome, it's estimated that about 4-12% of them won't see their first birthday. The way we treat people who have a "bonus" chromosome matters...the reason why so many of them don't see toddlerhood matters. It matters that we understand that this unique, special condition isn't a death sentence or a punishment...it's an opportunity to see more in a world that thinks less of some people.
Do you have a subject you'd like to hear more about? A topic that is near and dear to you? Please feel free to post a comment or send a message in with the things you'd like to hear more about. The key to awareness is sharing information!
I'll be sharing a fact a day over on the Our Mourning Sickness Facebook page (go give it a like, if you haven't already!), but I wanted to post one here, especially because I want to kick this month off with all the respect it deserves.
We'll start with a little bit about Down syndrome, a magical condition special to me and my family. In the US, it's estimated that only about 33% of babies with a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis are carried to term. Of the babies born with Down syndrome, it's estimated that about 4-12% of them won't see their first birthday. The way we treat people who have a "bonus" chromosome matters...the reason why so many of them don't see toddlerhood matters. It matters that we understand that this unique, special condition isn't a death sentence or a punishment...it's an opportunity to see more in a world that thinks less of some people.
Do you have a subject you'd like to hear more about? A topic that is near and dear to you? Please feel free to post a comment or send a message in with the things you'd like to hear more about. The key to awareness is sharing information!