A Little News

Today I want to introduce you to a very special little boy.  This is Reece.  He is fourteen months old.  Reece has Down Syndrome.  And I love this child like I didn’t think it possible to love a baby.  I delivered Reece with my own hands and it was an experience like no other.  Patty and I have eight children but he is the only one I have delivered.  We used a midwife for his birth and that is the only reason I could do this.  She was great and she was the first person to say Reece might have Down.

We had to drive to Tennessee to have Reece because Alabama does not allow midwifery.  That is a true shame but a topic for another day.  When our midwife evaluated Reece she found some indicators of Down but we had seen some of those same physical characteristics in our other children.  She said we should not worry about it but keep an eye on him.  So we watched and waited and all we saw was a precious little baby growing properly but his little eyes never lost their almond shape.  We became more suspicious when Reece didn’t begin to crawl, or make any attempt to crawl, by the time our other kids were doing it.  I guess the straw that tipped the balance was a lady who came up to my wife to offer her sympathy for our “special needs” child.

Patty said we should have Reece tested so we set up an appointment.  On July 3, Reece’s first birthday, he saw a Down Syndrome specialist.  He was positive Reece had the affliction but we still waited for the test.  Then it was confirmed.  While I guess Reece’s journey began at birth just like it did for the rest of us, our journey as “special needs” parents began two months ago.  There are many ‘ologists in our immediate future as we work to catch up on tests that many DS kids go through much earlier than Reece.  We have had his thyroid testing done and await results.  We have appointments with a cardiologist, a urologist, an ENT and an eye specialist. We are really blessed because Reece does not have any apparent physical defects like a defective heart which afflicts about half of DS children.

There is a long journey ahead with physical therapy and speech therapy.  Reece was evaluated by the Centers for the Developmentally Disabled and they found him at least 25 percent behind in all three areas of testing.  The photos with this post show some of his evaluation with Pat from the CDD.  At times it breaks my heart to know the struggles my little precious boy must overcome just to approach normal; however, it encourages me to see his little spirit showing through, his joy, his physicality and his social interaction with all his brothers and sisters.  In fact, all the people we have talked to have told us that Reece has been born into the perfect family because of all the stimulation and interaction he will have.  I don’t know what role God plays in all this but I do know I am extremely grateful that I get to be Reece’s dad.  Already, I can’t imagine life without him and Reece has enriched our family in more ways than I can say here.

I guess I was well prepared for being a DS dad.  As a photojournalist, I have covered many assignments with groups like Special Olympics and ARC and I have been around a number of children and adults with DS.  I have yet to meet a DS person who was not upbeat and joyful.  In fact, I can’t remember ever meeting anyone with DS that was not among the most loving people I have ever been around.  When we found that Reece had DS, I was not at all deflated.  I was, in fact, glad that I had been around enough people with DS to know in some small measure what to expect.

The Christmas before Reece was born we were gathered around in my parents living room spending some time in prayer after all the gifts had been opened.  Prayer together with all the family is one of our family traditions at Christmas time and some years it is really special.  As we prayed, I laid my hand on Patty’s abdomen and prayed over my unborn child.  I remember specifically prophesying that our boy would face many challenges in his life but he would overcome them all and that he would be a warrior.  At that time we had no idea if our baby was even a boy, much less that he would have Down Syndrome.  Little did I understand how true that word of prophecy would be.  I may not have understood what the Lord was saying that day but I can say that I am grateful to be a part of his life and I am grateful he is part of mine.

Today is not the last time you will hear about my special boy.  Reece’s Journey will be an ongoing documentary feature of this blog.  You can laugh with us, cry with us and I sincerely hope, pray with us as we and Reece grow up together.

Photos Copyright Gary Cosby Jr.  The opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.