We had Blake after being married for 20 years, he is our first born, yes I said 20 years but that’s another story. Everything was pretty normal up untill we got that call from the Dr, you know the one that makes your heart stop for a few seconds. He told us that the test had come back positive for Down syndrome and we needed to come in ASAP. He told us all the basic medical jargon and suggested an amnio but we eventually decided against that. When we first found out I took it pretty hard and even had thoughts in my head about abortion. Michelle on the other hand knew right from the beginning that she was having this baby no matter what. To be honest I knew nothing about Down syndrome and the only thing I could think of was what is everyone going to say about me. I had no idea about common health problems or anything. I think I was more worried about being embarrassed then anything else. I really didn’t talk to anyone or do research, I wish I had though. We saw a specialist and according to them they saw no signs of Down syndrome, I was really happy and just knew that God was just testing us. I even had a dream where I actually saw me and a little boy playing in the front yard and he did not have Down syndrome. Time flew by and next thing you know it’s January 16th and both Blake and Michelle are about to have the longest 5 days of their lives. Blake had a really really tough birth, he had heart problems from the beginning and ended up being an emergency c-section. As soon as he was born my whole life changed my whole way of thinking changed I changed. Blake was born with a lot of problems the main one being imperforated anus, basically he was born with no opening in his bum. He was hauled off by ambulance to another hospital where he had emergency surgery and spent the next two months in the Nicu. Blake ended up having a total of 3 major surgeries in less then 2 years and having a colostomy bag also. And the at home procedures that we had to do to him were horrible we cried every time we had to do them. The thing is that all those fears of embarrassment or thinking that God would never do that to me just vanished. I was a dad I wasn’t a Down syndrome dad I was just a dad and my only worries now were of taking care of my son.
Fast forward a few years and now Michelle is pregnant with our second boy. And again everything was normal until that phone call again, you know the one where you feel like you can’t breath. We got the news that Dalton could possibly have Down Syndrome also and I gotta admit it was still a shocker for me. Even though we knew that it was a possibility I just didn’t think that it would happen again. I kinda of fell into that old thinking of God wouldn’t do that to us again, we went through enough with Blake, we did our time. I really thought that things were going to be different this time so once again I found myself getting upset. But this time we took the new maternity 21 test and we found out for sure, we wanted to be better prepared. I remember thinking why me and why us how can we go through this again. Just like before Dalton decided to have some heart issues and come out early. He decided to follow Blake and also got a ride in an ambulance to the other hospital but he stayed 3 months in the NICU. He was born with many problems also and had some really tough at home procedures to follow.
They are both doing better now but will most likely have medical problems through out there lives.
Blake and Dalton are two very special little brothers. I look at them daily and often wonder what on earth did I do to deserve them how lucky am I to be their daddy. All that negative thinking before they were born is normal but all gone now and replaced with nothing but true love for them.
Having two kids with Down syndrome is just like having two kids without Down syndrome, you love them, hug them, kiss them, tell them you love them everyday and do your best to give them everything you never had.
Thanks
Juan Castillo
Daddy to
The One And Only Up Brothers.