They sometimes say that the changes between us are what makes the world go round. We realize that we live in a diverse world, and sometimes, we need to look beyond the differences and see the beauty in how we are similar.
One of the differences that we sometimes see is that an individual may be born with special needs. Although this can be different in many different ways, one way that we may see it is when an individual is born with Down syndrome.
Kennedy Garcia is just such a girl, and when she was born in Colorado Springs, doctors wanted to put her in an institution. They told the mother that due to having Down syndrome, she would have a low quality of life.
They didn’t give a very good prognosis to the parents and they said that she would have to wear diapers as an adult and she would be much better off in a special institution.
The mother, Renée, decided that they were not telling the entire truth so she kicked them out of the hospital room. She didn’t want to give up on her baby and she knew that she could raise her to be a special individual.
These days, not only is the daughter doing well, she is thriving. Kennedy has been in dance competitions, has been a top model for various brands, and has even fought cancer and overcame leukemia.
Renée said: “The night Kennedy arrived, I was heartbroken to learn she had the condition because I was being fed nothing but a negative, bleak picture painted by doctors and nurses who really had no idea what my child‘s future really held.
“It was only the next night when a kind midwife told me Kennedy was beautiful and just like her daughter, who also had the condition, that I felt a glimmer of hope.
“The first thing I asked was if her daughter could walk, because I really didn’t know what having the condition meant, and she just laughed. Her daughter was 16 and of course she could walk.”
You never know what an individual is capable of doing until they have the opportunity to do it. Kennedy is more than someone who overcame the odds, she is an inspiration to all of us.
