“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” – Scott Hamilton
Unfortunately, we see judgmental people everywhere. As a parent, one of the things that could break our hearts is when our children get evaluated based on their uniqueness.
Kati Martinez, an Illinois mom, is opening up to everyone through social media about her story.
View this post on Instagram
The day her son was born was also the day her life changed.
Last October 21, 2019. Martinez gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. However, her husband, Abe Martinez, told her that their newborn son, Micah, was diagnosed with Down syndrome.
“My first reaction was, ‘What? Like, there’s no way because nothing was out of the ordinary. They would have probably seen that in ultrasounds,'” Martinez told in an interview with Good Morning America.
Martinez said that her husband was able to tell that the baby had Down syndrome because the features were visible from being swollen from birth.
Abe noticed the prominent almond-shaped eyes and that the baby didn’t have a nose bridge and a distinct neck fold.
View this post on Instagram
For some, hearing those words that your baby has Down syndrome can be heartbreaking. We can’t judge these people, but Martinez felt calm.
She recalled seeing the nurse nodding, confirming her husband’s suspicion that the baby did have Down syndrome.
Martinez stayed quiet and patiently waited for the staff to give him Micah.
“When he came over, he was just like, I don’t even know the words that he said, but I just remember telling him, ‘He’s gonna be fine. It’s gonna be OK,'” Martinez said.
Martinez wasn’t new to this situation because she was a former special education teacher. With her new experiences, she’s also a Down syndrome advocate.
She wants to educate, help, and support mothers like her who are in the same situation.
View this post on Instagram
It’s not easy fighting off bullying and bashing. With Martinez’s help, they would be able to be stronger, not just for themselves but for their children with Down syndrome.
“I think when I became Micah’s mom, I became an advocate,” she shared.
She proudly shares Micah’s video clips on her TikTok account because she thinks she would be able to reach out to many people through social media.
View this post on Instagram
The couple also shared that they are enjoying every milestone that Micah reaches and that now, he’s being the best older brother to his 8-month-old sister Mackenzie.
“His outlook looks great. We expect him to do everything that our daughter would do. Like, we are not gonna treat him differently,” Martinez shared.
It’s not easy raising two kids, with one having Down Syndrome, but, like any other parent, it’s a learning process. Instead of worrying about what could go wrong, it’s better to enjoy each moment that they share.
View this post on Instagram
Micah’s beautiful smile is enough to warm people’s hearts.
“We’re definitely not going to ignore that he has Down syndrome, and we’re going to celebrate that, but we expect the same things from him that we would expect from Mackenzie.”
Martinez wishes people to be more understanding and open to children like Micah.
View this post on Instagram
Each child is precious and unique, and Micah, like any other kid with Down syndrome, is beautiful.
Watch the full interview below, and don’t forget to follow them on TikTok and Instagram.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
