Sample Down Syndrome Essay – Effects of Down syndrome on Family
It is not easy having a family member who is different from you. Yes, every member of
your family is different. But, are they different in the way that it is not normal? My brother,
Todd, was born with Down syndrome when I was 6 years old. From the moment he was brought
home, even I, at a young age, knew Todd was different. He looked different, acted different and
behaved different. I had no idea why he was different. He just was. Although I did hear the
words Down syndrome, it never made a difference until Todd was about four years old.
Down syndrome is also known as Trisomy 21. Children with Down syndrome have an
extra gene that causes development delays both mentally and physically. About 1 in 800 babies
are affected by Down syndrome. Some children have problems with their health. Others don’t.
This varies from child to child. Thankfully, Todd didn’t have any medical problems. It would
have been very difficult for my parents to handle this as we were not wealthy enough to do so.
Babies inherit genes from both their parents. This is why some of us look more like our mothers
or fathers than others in the family. Normally, we inherit 46 chromosomes. 23 from both parents.
Children with Down syndrome get one extra chromosome so that they have 47 altogether. This is
what causes all the physical differences between other children and children with Down
syndrome. There is no cause and there is no way to avoid it.
Looking back on it now, my parents would have been under tremendous pressure.
Initially, they argued a lot, placing the blame for Todd’s birth on the other. It seems they needed
someone to blame. My mother would carry Todd in her arms and I would walk into the nursery
and find her in tears. My father spent a lot of time out of the house. I guess he couldn’t handle
the fact that he had been responsible for bringing a child who is not normal into the world. It
wasn’t easy for me watching my parents fight all the time. I knew it had something to do with
Todd’s arrival, but I just couldn’t bring myself to understand it. To me, Todd was my brother. He
cried when he was hungry, slept when he was full and smiled the most beautiful smile I had ever
seen when he saw me. The love I felt for him was complete. It did not falter even when my father
left my mother.
When I was 11, I got bullied a lot about Todd. They called him names and were often
rude to me because of him. At that age, I had a lot of problems in school. I was constantly being
brought up before the principal because I had hit another boy. But, I had no choice. Anyone
messed with Todd, they messed with me. My mother understood and tried her best to make the
situation manageable. But, it was not easy.
Todd is now 22 years old. He is a man. He is loving, quite independent and my number
one fan. He goes to school, helps my mom with her work because I live away from home, and
looks after her the best he can. A lot of people ask me if I regret a brother with Down syndrome.
I have to answer in the negative, because no one has ever greeted me at the door with the most
beautiful smile on his face in my 28 years.