Down Syndrome Do-Knots

This week we focused on World Down Syndrome Day, and for a good reason.

Hi, I’m Joni Erickson Tada, and you know, I was watching the Discovery Channel the other night – um, it was a report on all the new and incredible surgical procedures that are now available. You know, stuff like that really interests me, a person with a disability. But there was one surgery that had to do with Down syndrome that really struck – well it didn’t really strike me – no, it repulsed me. Because in England, parents of a five-year-old girl with Down Syndrome put their daughter through a series of cosmetic surgeries to, as they put it, 'improve' her appearance, things like removing the folds of the skin from the corners of her eyes and operating on her ears and fixing her flattened nose, all so that this child with Down syndrome would somehow 'fit in.' Other surgeries on Down syndrome kids have been performed: some to change the thin lips and the thick neck and the large tongue.

These parents say they just want their children to be happy. One of the mothers was quite insistent, saying that it's all a matter of self-esteem; if you're not happy with yourself, then why shouldn't you fix your appearance?

Well, the way I see it putting braces on your teeth is one thing, but radical, invasive surgeries that completely restructure the face of a child, isn't it only reinforcing the idea that disabled children are the ones who must change in order to be accepted? Don’t you think its better, isn't it more important, more ethical for society to learn to accept people who are different? Like that child with Down syndrome?

You know, as I watched that TV special, I kept thinking of Psalm 139 where it says that God knits us together in our mother's womb, meshing our chromosomes together exactly the way He wants. And even if there is a chromosome mishap – such as in the case of Down syndrome, even then, God is in control. A child with Down Syndrome fits into His plan. And that plan may include changing the people around that child, changing the parent’s perspectives and even changing the attitudes and the values of society. Not every parent of a Down syndrome child wants to change the appearance of their little one. For instance, Rosa is the mother of 12-year-old Domenica, who has Down syndrome. And Rosa says (now get this), “It's a sad indictment of what our 'must-have' society has become, the expectation is for something perfect. Anything which isn't aesthetically perfect, be it breasts, or the bodies or the faces of children just out of babyhood, must be fixed until it is perfect. And that shows a grotesquely skewed sense of values." Wow! Good for you, Rosa.

And this is why we do what we do at Joni and Friends, we promote a biblical worldview on disability, ascribing dignity to every child, no matter how significant the medical condition. And it’s why I’d like you to learn more about Down syndrome and the extraordinary blessings that these young people like Domenica bring to the table. So here at the ministry, we’ve put together a wonderful little booklet written by our own Shauna Amick, mother to Sarah who is a teenager with Down syndrome. In fact, we heard from Shauna on this program earlier this week. She writes from her own experiences but seasons every story with the Word of God. Yes, it is the Bible that helps us understand what God considers important and valuable about children with Downs. So please, contact joniradio.org today and ask for Shauna’s booklet From Fear to Hope. If you are the parent of a child with a disability, the whole message behind Shauna’s booklet is; you can do this. So write today for your free copy, would you? And join us in praying that God will protect this vulnerable population of kids with disabilities who really do need His love.

By: Joni Eareckson Tada

© Joni and Friends

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Joni and Friends envisions a world where every person with a disability finds hope, dignity, and their place in the body of Christ. Become part of the global movement today at www.joniandfriends.org.

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