By Karen and Edwin Wilson, Hannah's parents. We previously published a short interview with Hannah Wilson, who has Down's syndrome. Hannah is the second of our three children, and has one brother (Jonathan) and a younger sister (Rachel).
We had no indication that Hannah’s birth was going to be the start of a journey into the unknown. Hannah is the second of our three children, and has one brother and a younger sister.
On the night she was born, my wife Karen and I were naturally delighted to have a newly delivered daughter, and in the middle of our excitement, one of the nurses asked us if we noticed anything ‘different’ about our daughter – this should have rang alarm bells, but all we saw was a little bundle of perfection!
The nursing staff were very tactful, as the conversation was gently steered in the direction of our growing realisation that our beautiful daughter had Down's syndrome. My wife Karen was recovering from an emergency caesarian and this bomb-shell had been dropped in our lap.
We were told that Hannah’s speech would be limited to two or three words, but as time progressed, her conversation has extended and now we have full-blown conversations about everything under the sun.
We didn’t know any other family with a child who had Down's syndrome, so we were initially left to our own devices for a time. Family and friends then rallied round as Karen and Hannah spent time in and out of Clark Clinic in Belfast RBHSC (this was a special ward where young babies with congenital heart defects are nursed in their early days), so we needed to juggle hospital appointments, as Hannah had been diagnosed as having a heart condition which would require surgery.
Hannah had open heart surgery when she was just nine months old and this turned out to be totally successful. We are eternally grateful for all the support we received from agencies like Speech and Therapy and Health Visitors.
Hannah, to us, is a much loved and treasured daughter, who has enriched our family life beyond measure. Her sunny attitude, willingness to please and ready smile, lights up even the wettest day in Fermanagh. With her challenge of having Down syndrome, she is aware of the fact that she is different, up to a point, but so is everyone to a degree.
We were told that Hannah’s speech would be limited to two or three words, but as time progressed, her conversation has extended and now we have full-blown conversations about everything under the sun.
Hannah was accepted for main-stream education and became fully integrated into all social, sporting and academic activities — tailored to her specific needs — both at Primary and Secondary Level.
Our parenting journey has been a roller-coaster of emotions, from elation at attained milestones to frustrations at well-meaning bureaucracy.
We always believed that Hannah’s greatest hurdle in life, would be other people’s attitudes and this has proven to be correct. Hannah has been given great encouragement from teachers, family and her church family because she has grown up among them. Community attitudes are changing, slowly, but moving in the right direction, overall.
All Life should be protected
We are angered by the very notion that a life, however different, is viewed by some as expendable because it is deemed as less than perfect. Whilst this legislation is a step in the right direction, we believe that all life should be protected, as being sacred, as we are all created in the image of God. If Northern Ireland's current abortion law is not challenged vigorously, what next? We may be at the start of a grand experiment in social engineering, and ethical arguments are conveniently sidelined as being unhelpful.
As a family, we are adamant that we would not change anything about Hannah. God has entrusted us with a unique young lady, who has so much to give society. Her warmth, compassion and generosity of spirit are qualities we all need more of, and we thank God for the blessing that Hannah is to us.