I don’t know what I did before you came along! I had Abby about a year before you had Noah. And in that year, the Down syndrome world was a very, very sad place. You said it yourself:

“You have this treasure, this good story, but no one in the world knows how good your story is,” Rick Smith said. “And we’re like, we want you to know! We want you to open up the story and see.”

  Rick said the online world shows little positive about children with Down syndrome. “The blog is an attempt to change that,” he says, “in hopes of giving life a chance.”

      (Source: http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/Noahs-Dad-137046703.html)

It’s true. It was like there was this dark, depressing cloud over all of Down syndrome. Sure, I liked Abby, but I didn’t like-her like-her, if you know what I mean. And not one of the blogs that I read was about actually liking their kids with Down syndrome. They were chock full of how much it sucks and how hard it is and, in your words, “outdated and inaccurate.”  I mean, really, have you been to MyShtub, NotAPerfectMom’sBlog, WithaLittleMoxie, LifeAsIknowIt, even KelleHampton? If you go to anything predating the advent of Noah’sDad.com, they were all super dark. They used scary fonts and only wrote about sadness. They only used outdated facts about Down syndrome. And accuracy? How could they be accurate? Their spouses aren’t doctors!

Then you came along. I first “met” you in a Down syndrome support forum. You told us about your son. He had Down syndrome. And you LOVED him. And we were astonished and afraid. What was this “love” thing and how did it relate to our children with Down syndrome?! After telling us over and over and over again, by way of posting every single time you had a new blog post, sometimes twelve times per post, we started to see… see this amazing thing….we could LOVE our kids with Down syndrome!  Some on this forum did not see things the way you did. They were hateful. They were all about the so-called “rules” of the forum and didn’t think you were following them. Really, all you wanted to do was show the Down syndrome world how great Down syndrome was! They called it “spam” and then they kicked you out.  Assholes!

And it’s happening again. People like this brat telling you that they are bored of you posting your blog on every news article about Down syndrome.  You did the right thing by calling her hateful. She is. so. hateful. Doesn’t she get that you aren’t doing it because YOU want the spotlight?! It’s about Down syndrome! You are just showing us something we don’t know! That it’s great!

And that’s why, I’m sure, that even though your Facebook page has 14,000 followers, you still find it necessary to post links to your blog in every online forum and Facebook group having to do with Down syndrome there is. Because we still don’t get it. We need to be reminded about Down syndrome, about how great your blog is, every single time you put up a new post. Thank you for that! There are days that I start to forget that Down syndrome is great. I stop loving Abby a little. And there you are, in every forum I belong to, reminding me. Thank you!

There are some that would say that it’s not right for you to only post your blog in these forums. That it’s not being supportive of the community when that’s all you use those forums for. They don’t understand–you don’t have the time. You spend your time working on your blog, which is a beacon of light and knowledge to the rest of us. And then the rest of your time, I’m sure, has to go to spreading the “Good Word” about your blog. I’m sure you’d stick around to answer questions and help those who are in need of support, but really, why are they even asking there…the answers….all of the answers…are right there on your blog!

They are bothered that you post blog entries about your son in groups like “Educational Strategies for Children with Down Syndrome” that have nothing to do with Educational Strategies. Don’t they know that even though your son is only 1, you know WAY more than them about Down syndrome?! Why are they even mad? You’re there to HELP them.

The other day you told us that “liking” your page was the equivalent of increasing “Down Syndrome Awareness.” I had never thought about that before.  How right you are! Because, without you, and your amazing blog and Facebook page, no one would have ever even THOUGHT that Down syndrome was something that they even needed to be “aware” about.

Again, thank you for all that you do for the Down Syndrome Community. Sure, you don’t give any credit to any other Down syndrome blog, website or group unless they are going to help you in some way, but that’s not what it’s about, right? Because the world didn’t know that Down syndrome could be good before you. They should be thanking YOU.

Just like I am.