Are “not such” children a source of problems or boundless love and happiness?

Unfortunately, in our society there is a well-established opinion that the birth of a child with Down syndrome cannot bring parents anything but grief and problems. That is why the percentage of abortions performed when the risk of the syndrome is identified is incredibly high. However, families in which children with Down syndrome are born know for sure that, despite all the difficulties and peculiarities, their children make them the happiest parents in the world.

Photographer Julie Willson lost her sister with Down syndrome four years ago. She dedicated this photo shoot, as well as a touching story about her family, to raising awareness about Down Syndrome. “Once I started photography, I always wanted to photograph children with Down Syndrome. I wanted my photographs to capture their true beauty. Nothing brings me more joy than communicating with people with Down syndrome. Everything about them makes me smile,” says Willson.

We join Julie in our hope to make a modest contribution to the great cause of changing our society's attitudes towards "not like" people who are different from the accepted notions of normal.

(Total 12 photos)

Source: boredpanda.com

1. I am one of those who was lucky enough to grow up next to a sister with Down syndrome. Dina is the best thing that could ever happen to our family.

2. She taught us what true unconditional love is and how to go through life without fear. She lit up any room she walked into, and people were always drawn to her sweet, albeit stubborn, personality.

3. When I remember my childhood, these are always memories associated with Dina. Wonderful memories.

4. Dina left us four years ago as a result of congestive heart failure, a very common occurrence among people with Down syndrome.

5. My mother and Dina were best friends and were absolutely inseparable. She also always had an inseparable bond with her father. People who knew our family and Dina have always said that Dina almost doubled her average life expectancy with the syndrome and lived a wonderful life thanks to a loving and caring family. My parents are just saints. They did everything in their power to ensure that Dina lived a life filled with happiness.

6. I hoped that my photos would be distributed on the Internet and people would see how happy these families really are.

7. After the shooting, one of the mothers told me that the abortion rate of those who find out that they may have a child with Down syndrome is 92%. This percentage is much higher than I could imagine. So if I can bring that number down a bit by sharing my photos, I'll consider it a success.

8. I want to change the worldview of people. I want them to look at these children and know that if they have a child with Down Syndrome, although it will be very scary at first, their family will be incredibly happy.

9. And if future parents see this, who are just going through a storm of emotions, having learned that they may have a child with Down syndrome, please know that soon you will meet with love that exceeds all your expectations.

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