Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Keep on Walking the Walk

Hi everyone!

There are days when I feel overwhelmed with life. Having 3 children under 3 is challenging sometimes- okay, a lot of the time. Don't take that as a complaint- it's not, it just is what it is. I love every moment I have with my babies and I am so glad to be fortunate enough to stay home with them. I live such a wonderful life.

THEY LOVE HER!!


To make up for the challenging days, God blesses me with fantastic days. 

Yesterday the boys and I (and my mommy) went to Akron Children's Hospital for round 2 of med student lectures on Down syndrome. I call it a lecture because I can't think of a better word for it but it is really a small group setting where I get to tell my lame jokes and share stories about how Casey and Connor are amazing little people. The first week there were 2 students and this past week there were 4. I have really loved meeting all 6 of them.

Sometimes, you meet people that just make an impression on you. In our group yesterday there was a young man we dubbed Dr. Matt. He was instantly comfortable with the boys and with me- asking great questions and he really seemed to try to get as much out of the session as possible. I was really impressed with him. 

I always tell people about Casey and Connor's FaceBook fan page (www.facebook.com/CaseyandConnor) because I want them to follow the boys and continue to see what they are accomplishing. Both students from session 1 became fans before I got home. Session 2- Dr. Matt became a fan. (Did I mention I really like this guy??) Tonight I logged on to the boys' page to see what new stuff was happening and I was greeted with a comment from Dr. Matt's mom. She told me that her son called her after his shift at the hospital to talk about the boys!!! Awesome. 

The ENTIRE reason I do things like talking to these students or writing this blog or doing the guys' page on Facebook is to touch lives. I do it to touch hearts and change minds. It is my life's mission to share the message that Down syndrome is a gift- not a curse. Dr. Matt showed me that I get it right sometimes. God bless him.

Learning that I am impacting lives (well, if we are being honest, learning that Casey and Connor are impacting lives) makes me so happy. It makes every single challenging moment of raising 3 under 3 seem much easier. I can look at my angel's sweet faces and know that they inspire me to go out and tell our story and I know I am doing it to make this world a better place for the 3 people who make me a better person.

I am inspired to spread our story even further! I will be spending time nearly every Tuesday until next July talking with the small groups of med students at ACH. In September, I am fortunate enough to be one of the parent speakers at Case Western Reserve University's med school during their Genetic Anomaly Correlation Conference. I did this last year and enjoyed the experience immensely.

I would love to have more opportunities to share my sons and our lives with more people. I have spoken at my church, to new parent groups and to med students but I want to do more. I am driven to continue this path to changing the world. I would love the chance to reach out to as many people as I can. I feel like God is calling me to continue walking this path. It is my dream to speak at schools, more churches and to other groups. I will continue to seek out these opportunities. If you hear of anything- keep me in mind. (It's my blog- I can shamelessly plug myself!)

Ok, friends, that's all for tonight. Right now I am debating between sleep and getting a few projects completed without 4 extra hands trying to help me. Thank you again for reading. As always, comments are welcomed and correspondence is appreciated. meghan_wilkinson10808@yahoo.com

 

4 comments:

Laura said...

I'm always so impressed with what you do for our Ds community in northeast Ohio! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

What a great opportunity to educate the medical community about Down syndrome! (the personal side vs. the medical side) SUCH an awesome thing you are doing! Nice work! :)

Ms Carol said...

Meghan, you are an amazing woman and mama! You got to be Casey and Connor's mama because God knew you would become one of the best advocates for DS ever!! Congratulations an Hugs! Carol

Margaret said...

Hi Meghan:
I can't think of anyone better than you to speak on behalf of these amazing and wonderful children.
One thing I remember - after my Alex was born was hearing from the medical standpoint -all the issues he might have. No one ever seemed to realize all he had to offer. And most importantly, he was mine, and I loved him no matter what. It's actually pretty easy to get through most things with a love that strong!