“Taking on Trisomy 18″ Term – What does that MEAN?

Every Child with Trisomy 18 Matters

We often talk about “Taking on Trisomy 18” here at the Trisomy 18 Foundation, and we do it deliberately and with strong purpose. Taking on Trisomy 18 rightly keeps our focus on what our families all have in common – the condition Trisomy 18 – and the battle that lies ahead in fighting how this condition limits the lives and potential of our children: the ones we’re blessed to still have with us on this earth; the ones already taken from us far too young; and the majority of whom were lost even before they could be born and come into … [Read more...]

National Video Interview with Harget Family going Nationwide!

Livia Harget

Trisomy 18 Gaining National Attention . . . video sharing interview with the Harget family and their beautiful little girl Livia who recently celebrated her 1st birthday -- a huge milestone in the world of Trisomy 18 families.  We are so grateful to Bethany and Eric for opening up their home on short notice to the national media.  This piece is for the CBS National affiliate network for use in all their local broadcast news shows.  We hope it helps put a human face on the world of Trisomy 18 families and their needs.  Join us in sharing … [Read more...]

Other Voices: A father’s journey to acceptance

Grayson and Riley Schmitz

From Jim Schmitz: The last day of Christmas Break and I fell right to sleep. I slept enveloped by what most consider the American Dream: an amazing wife, a handsome 3 ½ year- old son named Grayson, a beautiful 6 month-old daughter named Riley, a job I loved, and a really big TV. Everything was great, until 2 ½ hours later. My wife, Kathy, wakes me up. “Something is wrong with Riley.” Our experience with Trisomy-18 was unique. We didn’t know for 6 months that anything was “wrong” with our daughter. Right after she was … [Read more...]

Other Voices: The unexpected gift prenatal testing could have given us — Part 3

Pregnant belly with US Pic

From Holly Lynn, mother of Freja who was born with full Trisomy 18: Of course, this isn't to say that prenatal testing doesn't come without risks, especially with invasive testing such as CVS and amniocentesis. Both of these tests have been linked to miscarriage risks [about 1%], however there are other options. In my two consecutive pregnancies since my daughter's death, I have not been comfortable with skipping prenatal diagnostic tests completely. I have declined many of the tests, the invasive ones, which can cause miscarriage. Instead, … [Read more...]