A Different Kind of Beautiful
by Molly Sullivan Taylor, Ph.D.
On a cold wintry day in December, just before Christmas, 23-year-old Danielle Body went into the hospital to deliver her first baby a month before her due date. She went in with the same hopes and dreams that all new parents have.
She had dreams of a beautiful delivery, dreams of that first healthy cry and a baby to hold and call her own. She knew she would love him because she already felt a bond to the baby she had carried for eight months.
As her delivery progressed the doctors suggested she have a Cesarean section because of some minor complications. She agreed, and within minutes a special little boy named Cooper entered her world. After delivery, he was quickly taken to the NICU, and although Danielle asked to see him over and over, she sensed that everyone around her seemed nervous.
She knew something wasn’t right; the nurses told her that it was his oxygen levels and that he could not come into her room until he was breathing well on his own, but something whispered into her heart that it was more.
Out of a strong maternal instinct to see the boy she already loved she gathered the strength to walk to the nursery where she was told that he had Down syndrome. It wasn’t the experience Danielle had prepared for but, she knew at that moment it was the beginning of a beautiful journey.
Later in the day when they brought Cooper to her room she held him as she cried tears of joy, fear and intense love. He blinked his little eyes as to say, “Just love me the way that I am,” and she did.
The next few days were filled with bittersweet moments as the doctors and nurses gave her mountains of information on Down syndrome, including that Cooper had two holes in his heart, a common abnormality in children with Down syndrome.
On Christmas Eve Danielle was discharged from the hospital, but she begged the nurses to let her stay with her baby boy one more night. She rocked him and told him he was the best Christmas present she could ever hope for. She whispered in his ear on Christmas Eve, “it’s just the two of us and you are my boy”.
As she thought back on her life during those dark nights in the hospital while she rocked Cooper, she knew that her heart had been prepared for this journey all along and although she knew it wouldn’t be easy, she was ready. Cooper spent a month in the Wadley NICU and when he was three months old, he had open-heart surgery in Little Rock.
Danielle’s focus was to help him heal and grow so that he could become all that he was intended to become. Over the next year, Cooper started receiving services through Opportunities, Inc., including speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy. He began going to school there when he was 11 months old.
With tears in her eyes, Danielle describes what it was like to watch her son achieve important firsts in his life.
“Having a child with special needs makes you appreciate all of the little small things, the first clap, the first kiss, the first steps — they are monumental”.
Danielle feels that having a child with Down syndrome gave her life definition and direction. She is a part of the Red River Valley Down Syndrome Society and she hopes to start a similar organization for minority parents.
In February she attended the Affiliates in Action Conference in Washington D.C. where she and other parents of children with special needs advocated for the current Disabilities Act to be passed. They met with lobbyists and state representatives and shared their stories, hopes and dreams for their children. She also met with other parents of children with special needs.
In Washington she got to hear adults with Down syndrome speak. They shared stories about attending college. One story was about a couple with Down syndrome that had recently gotten engaged. This gave her great hope for the boy she loves.
Danielle says that having Cooper has allowed her to have bonds with other strong women that she never would have met if her son didn’t have Down syndrome. She calls her life beautiful and says her biggest joy is watching Cooper learn and develop.
With tears rolling down her cheeks, she explains the joy his hugs and smiles bring to her life.
This was not the trip Danielle planned for; it’s a different kind of beautiful.
Nonprofit Resources for Children with Special Needs
Opportunities, INC.
903-791-2270
6101 North State Line Ave
Texarkana, TX 75503
Opportunities offers a very comprehensive list of services to children with special needs. Programs are for infants, toddlers, preschoolers and adults. Services include early identification screening, evaluation and assessment, infant development and family support.
Running WJ Ranch
903-838-3223
4802 South Kings Highway
Texarkana, TX 75501
Runnin’ WJ Ranch is a Christian non-profit organization that offers therapeutic riding classes to children of all ages with special needs.
Temple Memorial Rehabilitation Center
903-794-2705
1315 Walnut Street
Texarkana, TX 75501
Temple Memorial Rehabilitation Center provides comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation services to people with disabilities. They provide therapy and social services to children and adults. It is an Easter Seals disability services facility.
