Over the past year, I have begun having a new love and appreciation for children and adults with Down Syndrome. I have known several individuals throughout my life with Down Syndrome and have enjoyed my interactions with them. But over the past year, that enjoyment has grown into the appreciation I now have for these precious people. With a bit more education on individuals with this syndrome and after spending time with the children we serve at Hope station, my perspective has widened. Children and adults with Down Syndrome can be and are very often fully capable and able to do so much! The publics’ view on people with this syndrome has led to many of these children to be abandoned or aborted. This view is stealing away our opportunities to bless and to be blessed by people with Down Syndrome. The orphanage that Hope Station serves currently has five children with Down Syndrome. All five of them all function in different ways and at different levels. At each of their ability levels, they have all touched my heart in some way. Alexander is the oldest boy with Down Syndrome at the orphanage. He is a young teenager with a beautiful smile and is always excited to welcome us each time he sees one of the Hope Station staff. He loves to color, dance, and join in any fun activity. I wish that he could always be able to do fun activities and have time to enjoy the life around him. Alexander is always willing to help others and enjoys putting a smile on people’s faces. However, this willingness to help has been used against him. He has been placed in a room with many other teenage boys. All of the boys in Alexander’s room have some type of special need. Many of the boys are in wheel chairs or are unable to complete basic daily activities (such as eating or going to the bathroom) on their own. There are about 14 to 15 boys in this room and all of them are placed in the care of 1 nanny. This nanny has enlisted the help of Alexander and one other boy to help her in her daily duties. If she needs a break, to go to the bathroom or just have a minute, Alexander and the other boy are left to care for the other boys in their room. This is a huge responsibility for anyone! Especially a teenage boy! He’s still just a kid and desires to enjoy his childhood. But sadly, Alexander has had to grow up far quicker than he need to. On our trips to the orphanage, we try to make sure he gets time to enjoy coloring or dancing! Hope is a young teenage girl at the orphanage. She enjoys puzzles, coloring, doing anything girly, singing, and dancing. When Rebekah Kepha began coming to the orphanage four years ago, Hope was always smiling and laughing. She exuded joy and anyone interacting with her could feel that, hence the name Hope. However, in the past years, she has become less and less joyful. The weight of the world is on her shoulders these days and it is easy to see in her countenance. Like Alexander, Hope has been called upon by the nanny in her room to help take care of the other children. Hope now has the responsibilities of feeding, cleaning, assisting those on the toilet, and many times disciplining the other children in her room. She is responsible for making sure no one gets hurt on her watch. The jobs she is expected to do, is the same as a trained nursing assistant in the States. Here she is, a teenager with little to no schooling being given huge tasks. She does them well, and the other children definitely respect her. But her childhood is over. She has less time to enjoy dancing and singing. Hope is also very much a teenager still. She has her moody days as teenagers do, and could use a day to take a break from all the demands she faces. We try to make sure she gets a chance to take a break and do an activity she finds enjoyable when we visit. She loves to have someone do a puzzle with her, or watch her dance. Read about Max, Moses, and Ella's stories next month in part 2 of this blog!
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Stephanie (Rommen) Li"Every child needs to be loved in gigantic quantities and with unbelievable quality." Archives
December 2018
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