My Teacher, My Inspiration

Yes, this entry is late. We've all been under the weather and finding the energy to post on the blog has been difficult. Heck, finding the energy to stay upright during the day has been difficult! Well, enough of that. Let's get to the business at hand. Better late than never, right?

Three years ago, on Tuesday, February 1st, 2005, after only 3.5 hours of drug-free labor, the one and only Andrew James Visser graced us with his presence at 1:37am. Life has not been the same since. It has nothing to do with his diagnosis of Down Syndrome. And it has everything to do with his diagnosis of Down Syndrome.

We were told, in accordance with routine prenatal blood tests, that there was a possibility of this diagnosis before Andrew was born. Many people take this type of news very hard. For some reason we didn't. It actually didn't bother us at all. I'm not sure why. We're no better than anyone else. We were just a married couple, expecting a baby. And that's exactly what we were getting. A baby. Not a diagnosis.....just a beautiful baby. Shortly after our Dr. mentioned the possible diagnosis to us I had a Level II ultrasound. This is a more in-depth ultrasound in which the technician looks for certain markers that would indicate a greater risk of our baby having Down Syndrome. The ultrasound showed nothing that would signify a greater risk and the thought of our son having Down Syndrome was put on the back burner.

The focus now was on picking a name for our son. We had long decided on Andrew James. A few days after the ultrasound, however, I changed his name to Justin James. I liked the idea of J.J. for a nickname. Randy agreed. And Justin James it would be.

About 2 weeks after that I had a dream. Now, hold on to your hats. This will probably sound corny coming from me as I don't generally believe in this type of stuff. My dream was set in total darkness. In the middle of the blackness shone a soft light. Standing in this light was a little boy, around the age of 3. He had the most beautiful blue eyes, softest blonde hair and the most entrancing smile I've ever seen. It was obvious that he also had Down Syndrome. He held his hand out to me and said, "My name is Andrew and I want to be your friend." Now, mind you, I said I don't believe in this kind of thing, but I woke from that dream, with a sense of complete peace, absolutely certain that my unborn son had presented himself to me. I felt he wanted me to know, for certain, that he has Down Syndrome. He wanted to assure me that everything would be just fine. I believe he also wanted me to know that he preferred the name Andrew. ;)

A few months later brings us to the night that Andrew James Visser was born. In his 3 years with us he has taught me so many things about life. He has taught me unconditional love. He has taught me perserverence. He has taught me will power. He has taught me that one more try, one more push, can break down the barriers standing in my way. A small child has taught me all of this, plus much more. A small child with a diagnosis that tends to scare off many people. Maybe they should spend some time with my teacher. My inspiration. My son.

No, life has not been the same since Andrew was born with Down Syndrome. It has been even more fulfilling than I could've ever imagined it being. Happy birthday Andrew. I am so glad you picked me to be your friend.