Yes, in true news of the world, scientists have figured out how to suppress the extra chromosome… but I don’t really care.
Want to read about it? Here’s a link with all the deets.
But I just myself pretty unexcited by it all.
I wonder more at my lack of excitement, frankly, than I do about the miraculous whatever-whatever changes that might come from this thing that’s supposed to be such a big deal.
Liiiiiiike, I wonder: do I not care because I love Moxie so fiercely, I adore her so thoroughly that I wouldn’t want to take the extra chromosome away if I could?
Or is it that I am really interested in the extra chromosome in and of itself: what does it do exactly? It’s a pretty interesting chromosome. Shouldn’t we find out more about it before we just go trying to shutting it off?
Or is it because I’m jaded and I don’t think they are actually going to get much done past that in my own lifetime?
Maybe it’s a combination of it all.
But I know this: I find watching Micah teaching Moxie how to feed the ducks a lot more interesting!
Meriah Nichols is a counselor. Solo mom to 3 (one with Down syndrome, one on the spectrum). Deaf, and neurodiverse herself, she’s a gardening nerd who loves cats, Star Trek, and takes her coffee hot and black.
Shouldn’t we learn more about the 21st Chromosome and what it does, before we shut it off? A question I had not seen raised, yet. A good question.
I do think, though, that we’ll see something come of this in our lifetime. The researchers already project possible treatment in ten years.
And, I’m jealous that you get to be with your kids snapping photos of them feeding the ducks.
I’m definitely interested in learning more…and following this research….
and! I remember so clearly being a working-outside-the-home mom and being SO JEALOUS of people doing the small, fun things during the day with their kids.
It’s cool being able to do that now – I definitely appreciate it. And I appreciate how hard everything else can be too – like right after I took those photos, we were playing and I was feeding the baby and Moxie was enjoying some food – then Micah had to poop right that very instant so I had to pack up everything, drag Moxie kicking and screaming to the bathroom, the baby was wailing too… and Micah refused to sit on the toilet so I had to clean it all down (- while carrying a screaming baby, mind), then line it with tp so he would, then he finally did and while he was doing his business, Moxie, behind my back, unwound ALL OF THE TOILET PAPER so when the time came to wipe Micah, I turned around and Lo! All the toilet paper was on the (muddy, gross) ground! Oh fun. And the wipes? Were in the van. ….
I mean. there is fun and there is FUN!!!
So I think sweet duck-feeding moments are kind of like juice to keep going even when those sweet and precious moments are far, far more rare than the ‘holy cow, can all this really be happening/!’ moments
Ha! I’ve found myself in the same boat. Although I should probable read the deets since people have been talking to me about it (I mean people outside the Ds family community). Hmm. Could just be my general level of apathy lately, or my joy in the fun moments of summer too.