Happy World Down Syndrome Day!

The day is not quite over, so we can still say Happy World Down Syndrome Day!  This is a special day for raising awareness and educating people about Down syndrome, and proclaiming the joy our loved ones with Down syndrome bring to our lives.



Here is a beautiful article that was forwarded to me today, written by Savannah Guthrie about her Uncle Pierce:  Savannah Guthrie: What World Down Syndrome Day means to me 

Pierce Franklin Long, Jr. was born on July 5, 1933. He was my mother’s older brother, my grandparents’ first child, their only son. Because he was born so close to the Fourth of July, my grandmother used to call him, “my little firecracker.” And it’s true that Pierce always sparkled with life and personality, with humor and charm....

Read the rest of this touching tribute to Savannah's Uncle Pierce here

Welcome "Faith and Culture" viewers

If you are on the blog because you saw Colleen Carroll Campbell interview Eileen Haupt and I last night, welcome! We filmed that interview a couple of years ago in St Louis. Meanwhile KIDS is going strong, as you can see by the posts about the March for Life from Eileen. I was down with the flu and watching on TV. It was a historic March for Life, the 40th anniversary of Roe v Wade, freezing cold, with 650,000 participants braving the cold. The photo of Eileen Haupt's hand holding the KIDS sign made it onto the Washington Post Blog photo essay on the March.


KIDS marchers are a wonderful group and we welcome you to our mailing list if you are interested in joining us in the March or just supporting our efforts in prayer.

Leave a comment below and tell us who you are.

KIDS Re-airs on EWTN's Faith & Culture - Thursday 3/7

We just found out that Colleen Carroll Campbell's interview with Eileen and Leticia on her show Faith & Culture on EWTN will re-air on Thursday, March 7th, at 6:00 p.m. (EST). 

Leticia and I flew to St. Louis in October 2010 for the interview, and it first aired in the Spring of 2011.  It was a privilege for us to be guests on Colleen's show, reaching an international audience.  We talk about some of the joys and challenges of having a child with Down syndrome, promising new research that may alleviate some of the cognitive challenges that individuals with Down syndrome face, and more.

Come join us!  If you don't receive EWTN on your cable network, you can view EWTN livestream from this link:  http://www.ewtn.com/multimedia  (click on "Live.")

Dakota's Pride A New Parents Search for Positive News and Hope on Down S...

KIDS at the March for Life



KIDS before heading over to the March for Life



KIDS had another successful event at the National Right to Life Committee headquarters prior to the March for Life in D.C. on January 25.  About 60 people joined us at NRLC and in the march.  You can read about it here in my article at National Right to Life News Today.

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and several of the KIDS families

We were privileged to have Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers join us again this year.  She spoke to us about her journey to the Congress and her experience in discovering her son Cole had Down syndrome. She also informed us that passage of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act was being pursued, as well as funding for Down syndrome research and funding for the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act, which was signed into law by President Bush in 2008. 

We enjoy this time with the congresswoman so much and thank her for being a special friend to KIDS!

Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers and the Sloans

We enjoy catching up each year with the Setrans and Youth With A Mission (YWAM), Sloans, Jacksons, and Phillips families, as well as Ryan and his Fatima Caravan!

We are also very appreciative of NRLC for hosting this event and providing us with refreshments.

And we missed Leticia and her family this year!


KIDS in the March for Life



You can read more here: 

“KIDS” meet at the National Right to Life office and participate in 2013 March for Life

If you have Down syndrome or have a family member or friend with Down syndrome and want to join us next year, please contact Eileen to get on our e-mail list, so you can receive information about future events.





Eileen Haupt Writes a Response to the Today Show on Prenatal Testing

She does a wonderful job of saying what impact the language of prenatal testing does to our perception of Down syndrome when she says,   

It pains me to hear Down syndrome talked about in such a negative light, especially on a show that millions of people will watch and come away with the idea that Down syndrome is something they are fortunate to be “safe” from.

Congratulations Eileen on a moving and timely response to the Today Show. I hope it is read far and wide. 

Read the entire article at National Right to Life News.

KIDS photo makes the Washington Post!

This photo of Eileen Haupt's hand holding our KIDS sign made it to the religion blog at the Washington Post.
Thanks for leading KIDS on the March for Life this year, Eileen, while I was ill with the flu.