“Eli’s Impact”
By Analia Rodriguez, Chairman of the Down Syndrome Group
I want to start with the story of how my brother, Eli, totally impacted my life. I know there are people out there that do not have the same faith as I do but my relationship with Jesus Christ has helped me through so many rough patches.
Eli has Down syndrome and, not officially diagnosed, autism. Life has been hard for Eli from the beginning. Eli was hospitalized for a month after he was born due to breathing problems and jaundice. Thank the Lord that Eli was not born with the very common heart defect found in individuals with Down syndrome. I can’t really say I knew what was going when Eli was born. I was seven at the time - but I was a very oblivious and sheltered seven year old. My mom did tell my sister and me that Eli was born with Down syndrome, but we never completely understood what that entailed. After all, I thought it was normal to give your brother daily breathing treatments for his asthma.
Eli grew out of his asthma but he grew into something a tad more difficult to understand: Eli stopped progressing. However, we found it fun to learn new things about him every day that he could not express to us in words. We learned that Eli loves to swim and be in the pool. In fact, Eli learned how to swim before he could walk, which he did not learn to do until he was seven years old. Walking turned out to be a struggle for Eli but after years and years of physical therapy, we were introduced to a foot and ankle brace that worked miracles.
As we grew up, I started to figure out what it meant to have a brother with Down syndrome. I began to understand why it took so much time for Eli to do things, and why he was not learning the same things as the other kids his age. I also started to notice the little eyes that followed us when we walked through the store and I started to hear the hushed tones of moms and dads explaining why their children cannot point at people “like that.” I used to be annoyed with children for not understanding my brother. But when I see those little eyes now, I smile at them and wave and tell Eli to say “Hi.” I enjoy when people look over at us in restaurants because I know that what they will see is not a family with a “different boy,” but a happy family with four children laughing like we know exactly what is going on and we have everything together.
Do not get me wrong, not every story is like the one above. Not every family is a laughing, picture-perfect family, but I am going to save those rough stories for another day. Today is light-hearted and positive. And for every difficult day we have had with Eli, we had fifteen absolutely wonderful days. Today is not the end of the world.
Siblings with a Mission is an international organization established to serve and support siblings of individuals with special needs. All images are found on Google images and are solely used for education purposes. The stories and advice provided by Siblings with a Mission are not to be replaced by professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support.
By Analia Rodriguez, Chairman of the Down Syndrome Group
I want to start with the story of how my brother, Eli, totally impacted my life. I know there are people out there that do not have the same faith as I do but my relationship with Jesus Christ has helped me through so many rough patches.
Eli has Down syndrome and, not officially diagnosed, autism. Life has been hard for Eli from the beginning. Eli was hospitalized for a month after he was born due to breathing problems and jaundice. Thank the Lord that Eli was not born with the very common heart defect found in individuals with Down syndrome. I can’t really say I knew what was going when Eli was born. I was seven at the time - but I was a very oblivious and sheltered seven year old. My mom did tell my sister and me that Eli was born with Down syndrome, but we never completely understood what that entailed. After all, I thought it was normal to give your brother daily breathing treatments for his asthma.
Eli grew out of his asthma but he grew into something a tad more difficult to understand: Eli stopped progressing. However, we found it fun to learn new things about him every day that he could not express to us in words. We learned that Eli loves to swim and be in the pool. In fact, Eli learned how to swim before he could walk, which he did not learn to do until he was seven years old. Walking turned out to be a struggle for Eli but after years and years of physical therapy, we were introduced to a foot and ankle brace that worked miracles.
As we grew up, I started to figure out what it meant to have a brother with Down syndrome. I began to understand why it took so much time for Eli to do things, and why he was not learning the same things as the other kids his age. I also started to notice the little eyes that followed us when we walked through the store and I started to hear the hushed tones of moms and dads explaining why their children cannot point at people “like that.” I used to be annoyed with children for not understanding my brother. But when I see those little eyes now, I smile at them and wave and tell Eli to say “Hi.” I enjoy when people look over at us in restaurants because I know that what they will see is not a family with a “different boy,” but a happy family with four children laughing like we know exactly what is going on and we have everything together.
Do not get me wrong, not every story is like the one above. Not every family is a laughing, picture-perfect family, but I am going to save those rough stories for another day. Today is light-hearted and positive. And for every difficult day we have had with Eli, we had fifteen absolutely wonderful days. Today is not the end of the world.
Siblings with a Mission is an international organization established to serve and support siblings of individuals with special needs. All images are found on Google images and are solely used for education purposes. The stories and advice provided by Siblings with a Mission are not to be replaced by professional advice and counseling but to be considered as an additional source of support.
