Cure for Downs syndrome ? and would you ?

 Recently  Stanford  put out a article about they were on there way to a cure for many Neurological and genome diseases (including Downs syndrome)  so I was going through some blogs about what other people were thinking on this. and it truly amazed me on some of there answers about it. Some just said that no matter what you should try and cure these children. Others said "No way  it would change who they were" and some said that they should just be aborted ( boy did I send her a nasty email)

You see I have a wonderful daughter who has Downs syndrome and it is a touchy subject for me. Would I know matter what try and cure her ?  Or would I just let her go on the way she is now? she has no medical issues and only thing she truly has problems with is speech. But what I have also read  about is that she could become further and further behind in speech and developmental skills. hmmmm   well Here is what I wrote in the New York times blog of  Motherlode 

Should Down Syndrome Be Cured?

If there were a cure for your child that would fundamentally change who they are, would you welcome it?


To give a Child medication to help them live a better and Productive life is a wonderful thing... IF you know it helps. My 2nd to oldest daughter was originally diagnosed with adhd and bipolar. The doctors put her on tons of medications and the poor child walked around like a zombie (These were the TOP specialists in Columbus ohio ). we were frantic about this and I talked to my own doctor about it one day, he asked me to just bring her in and he would have a look at her. After his examination told us to put her on a sugar free diet, drop all the medications but two and cut one in half of the dosage they originally prescribed. Within day's she became more and more like herself but without the destructive ways she had before. What I'm trying to get to is this. I would NEVER put my child on a drug that might help her out.


Yes I do have a child with downs syndrome, and we were just told of a drug that might be able to help her with some of her learning abilities (One of the same drugs my 2nd oldest daughter was given...) When asked how this drug worked to do that, they told us "well were not sure how it works, it just does" Pretty much same thing they told us before.
So tell ya what, when there done testing it on the lab rats, and have found the Parents to use it on there children and figure out "How it works" Then I will sit down with my Family and will talk about it. Till then we will send her to her school were she is loved by all her classmates and also all those "normal" children, and if we have to take care of her for the rest of our lifes I will be more than happy to.


Dont get me wrong, I would love to see my daughter live a long and productive life.... but who is it to say she is not going to do that as she is now ? I see children in the news die all the time from rare things that they had no idea there child had. And as for productive well she is 7 years old right now, she loves helping with dishes, she likes to dust and sweep (vacuum still freaks her out..but I think she just like to run through the house squealing ) She helps me in the yard, and Most of all she makes everyone around her laugh and smile. How much more productive can you get ?

There was so much more I wanted to say, but couldnt really figure out the words at the time that were in my heart . I love my daughter the way she is, but I would also love her if she were Paraplegic, quadriplegic had Münchhausen's disease or any of a thousand other disorders.  So would I change the way she is now for a better chance at life for her if we KNEW it worked.......................I just dont know.   I would love to say "YES!!"  but would it change her happy attitude, her amazement  at such little things that others have grown out of.. her way of growling at me (drrrrrrdddy !!! she's doing that right now ) when she wants my attention ?

 There is nothing "slow" about my Payton, she is quick as a whip,  and yet there is something wrong. She doesnt speak well ( we understand her but others dont always) she doesn't seem to want to potty train ( she knows how to but chooses not to ).   And she has the Downs Syndrome facial look we dont see it alot in her, but it's there.

 So  Would I  give her the "cure" if one was such available ?

ask me when it's here