31 for 21

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Guess what?!? October is Down Syndrome Awareness month! And the blogging community is committed to providing 31 straight days of information about Trisomy 21, the medical term for Down syndrome.

When I began blogging a short time ago, I felt a huge need to unburden myself with my thoughts and feelings regarding Down syndrome as it pertains to my child. Those feelings are still there occasionally, but my healing process has begun (thanks in part to this blog) and so the urgency to unload isn't there quite as often. But that's good news because now my posts can reflect the "normalcy" of our life, despite having children with special needs and I can be useful and help others understand these issues in a more positive light. Educating others to promote acceptance is my long-term goal.

So for the next 31 days, I will be providing information about Down syndrome, sure to include facts, theories, links to amazing blogs and hopefully even a little bit of humor! Stay tuned...

Today's Fast Fact:  Trisomy 21 occurs when a person's genetic makeup contains three copies of the 21st chromosome. A typical person's genetic makeup contains only two copies of this chromosome. All together, a typical person has 46 chromosomes; a person with Down syndrome has 47 chromosomes. This means that a person with Down syndrome has a 2% difference, genetically speaking, from the typical individual. They are more alike than different.... and THAT is something that a person with Down syndrome (and those who love them) would want you to remember!

Another Great Blog to Peruse: A Perfect Lily. The mom writing this blog has 10 children ~ ten! Her youngest, an adorable little girl named Lily has Trisomy 21 and she writes all kinds of interesting thoughts about her experiences. Check it out!