Special Family Network

Alaska’s governor, Sarah Palin, recently gave birth to her fifth child. He is a beautiful baby boy named Trig Paxon Van Palin.

He was born with Down Syndrome.

A statement released by her and her husband, Todd says,

“Trig is beautiful and already adored by us. We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed.”

I am so happy that, though they knew before birth that Trig was going to have Down Syndrome, she continued with her pregnancy and is taking so much joy in the life of her baby. 90% of American mothers who find out that the baby that they are carrying has Down Syndrome choose to have an abortion. They believe that abortion is the best option when in truth they are missing out on what could be one of life’s greatest blessings.

To read more about Trig’s birth please read this article.

Dr. Betty Williams, co-author of the book Very Young Children with Special Needs, presented the results of some of her research in a lecture. To find out more, please read this article.

Please take a moment to watch this video about a young boy named Titus who has aplastic anemia. Titus was born with his condition and this cord blood stem cell transplant was his best hope. It is a very informative video that explains how the transplant works.

“And the two will be one. So they are no longer two but one.” Mark 10:8

It is every parent’s worst nightmare: Learning that there is something wrong with your child. I remember that feeling all to well when a doctor told me that my son Luke probably had Cystic Fibrosis. I felt as though the room was shrinking, my brain went numb, and all I wanted to do was hold my baby and cry. It turns out that my son did not have Cystic Fibrosis, but a rare genetic syndrome called Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome. It was a very long and difficult road to diagnosis and there were many times that I almost forgot about the one person who understood how I felt the most. My husband.

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Scientists have discovered a genetic link for Spina Bifida. Please read more about it in this article.

Just because you have a physical disability does not mean that you can not live a wonderful life! I would like you to meet a wonderful woman who has overcome her challenges with parenthood, love and life in general. Please meet Christine Regber-Martens, an amazing mother, wife and friend to all who have met her.

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Luke Anthony does not let Cystic Fibrosis nor his blindness stop him from reaching his dreams. Read about this exceptional young man in this article.

Please take a moment to read this very special article about a woman who teaches music to people with special needs.

At what turned out to be Jessica’s last lesson, I asked her what rain sounded like. She actually gave this some thought before gently playing a tinkling sound on the higher notes that steadily became more insistent. I again harmonized with chords whenever I could on the electric keyboard. “How about the wind?” I asked. Jessica responded by playing a glissando up and down the keys with varying intensity. “Thunder?” That was easy. She immediately gave a few staccato bursts from the bass keys. “OK! Lets play the music for a short Spring thunder storm.” We dove in. It was wonderful. Not only was it totally free-form, it was VERY musical! All too soon, the lesson was over and Jessica’s father, who usually waited across the street at the local coffee shop but today waited across the hall in our living room, popped his head into the studio and said that it was time to go. Read More

Meet Quinn, a young boy with Autism. This is an great video put together by Quinn’s mom.