The birth of one child is more than enough of a reason to celebrate, but when you give birth to twins, you get to celebrate twice. Now imagine feeling like you’re on top of the world after creating two human beings, and suddenly your doctor pulls you aside to tell you two words. “I’m sorry.” Those are by far, the most painful words anyone could hear, particularly after giving birth, but that’s what Jodi Parry and her partner Matt’s went through when Jodi had just given birth six years ago. What her physician had told her made both of their hearts ache with fear.The couple wanted to give their son, Finlay a sibling, but Jodi had suffered a miscarriage a short time after she had had him. Naturally, she assumed that nothing else could go wrong with future pregnancies, so she gave it a chance and became pregnant with twins.
They were happy about having twin girls, but then the couple’s doctor pulled them aside and had a chat with them. That’s when their joy turned to sorrow after he said, “I’m sorry.” Then he told them that the twins had Down Syndrome.
Their twins, which they named Abigail and Isobel, had a condition that would alter the girls’ lives forever. Jodie and Matt had convinced themselves that they were prepared for any outcome, good or bad, but they weren’t ready to handle this.
The twins spent the first four weeks of their lives inside the intensive care unit, which gave Jodie and Matt plenty of time to ponder what they considered to be a bleak outcome of what was to come. They assumed that they would have to care for their twins for the rest of their lives.
Abigail was deaf in one ear, and Isobel was born with a hole in her heart. But statistically speaking, they were also very rare little girls, because the odds of giving birth to twins with Down Syndrome are one in a million.
Jodie and Matt didn’t have enough information about Down Syndrome, so they initially assumed that their daughters couldn’t lead normal lives, but it turns out that they could. They hadn’t yet realized that their twins would be able to love, laugh, have fun, talk, and even go to school.
In fact, Jodie would love to meet the doctor who apologized when he told her about the girls having Down Syndrome. If she could, she’d tell him that regardless of their condition, they’re lovely human beings who have filled the Parry household with joy and love.
No one can deny that there is genuine happiness here, which just comes to show you that society’s prejudices might look down on people with Down Syndrome, effectively making it seem like they are less than functional, when in fact, they are more than capable of leading healthy normal lives.
Fortunately, with the help of the ultra-amazing Abigail and Isobel, the couple were able to realize right away that their girls were a blessing, who defied all odds, and made perfect additions to the Parry household.
