LIAM

PHOTO BY RANDY BACON

LIAM

“This Beautiful Journey”

(Story by Cindy, Liam's mother)

Liam is my firstborn and he’s everything that I didn’t realize I wanted in life. About an hour after Liam was born, the doctors came in and gave me the diagnosis that he was born with Down syndrome. It was a surprise diagnosis, but we were going to make sure Liam would be raised just like any typically developing child and ensure he reaches his full potential.

He got through the baby stages and toddlerhood, ate table food and learned to walk; it just took a little longer than typical children. While this came natural for a typical child, Liam had to work extra hard to get there with the help of physical, speech, and occupational therapy. He went to preschool, then public elementary school where he was mainstreamed into typical classrooms. Through it all he was happy.

In high school his world opened up. He participated in Special Olympics, Best Buddies, and Young Life Capernaum. He had and has a great group of friends who set great examples of proper behavior, kindness, and friendship - I believe this was what made the biggest impact in ensuring Liam reached his full potential. He in many ways grew up as a typical kid who loves to listen to music, dance, play sports, hang out with friends, travel, and play video games. He’s like everybody else and wants the same things that everyone else wants in life. Sometimes it might take him longer to get there, but he eventually gets there. And he gets there BIG.

After high school, we moved out of state where we were faced with a challenge - how were we going to recreate Liam’s former active, social, friend-filled, fulfilling life in this new environment? We started by contacting our local Down syndrome organization. We met a very welcoming group of people who were eager to connect us to other agencies and organizations. Before we knew it Liam’s life was once again filled with activities including Special Olympics, powerlifting, and swimming. This year he became the state champion in the 100 meter breaststroke!

Liam has taught our family about the most important things in life, unconditional love, pure joy, and how to appreciate every accomplishment no matter how small. Liam taught me that I shouldn’t worry about the little things in life and that I just need to focus on the day to day and be happy with every moment. Because every moment is beautiful if you stop to take the time to enjoy it. We have also learned that surrounding ourselves with supportive people makes this beautiful journey easier and even more joyful.