Gifts 2

by Soper, Kathryn L.

• ISBN13: 9781890627966
• ISBN10: 1890627968
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-09-16
• Publisher: Woodbine House

Summary

Acceptance, courage, friendship, awareness, and joy - these are the gifts recounted in more than seventy inspirational essays included in GIFTS 2. Edited by Kathryn Lynard Soper, the follow-up to the bestselling GIFTS presents a broader perspective on Down syndrome and life by including passionate stories by other family members: siblings, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, as well as mothers of older children. Friends, teachers, medical professionals and coaches also share the joys of knowing and caring for someone with Down syndrome. Like the previous book, GIFTS 2 helps us see that the hopes and dreams family and friends have for a child with Down syndrome are similar to the ones we have for any child. And, more often than not, expectations are fulfilled if not always the way we anticipated they would be. A grandparent, inspired by his grandson's strong will, discovers the ability to persevere and not give up on a job. A brother who assumed he would be the person helping his sibling with Down syndrome describes how often it is the other way around. A young teacher remembers her first student with Down syndrome and it gives her strength and clarity when she is faced with her own child's diagnosis.This heart-felt collection is a source of comfort to other families, and offers insight to anyone who wonders how people with Down syndrome live today. Give the ultimate gift, share both volumes with family and friends, your child's teacher or pediatrician --help raise public awareness and give others a point-of-view they might otherwise miss.

Author Biography

Kathryn Lynard Soper is the mother of seven children. Her youngest, Thomas, born in 2005, was diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth. She's the author of a memoir about Thomas, The Year My Son and I Were Born, and the editor of two anthologies, Gifts and The Mother in Me. She is president of The Segullah Group, Inc., a non-profit organization that produces personal writings, and editor-in-chief of Segullah, a literary journal by and for Latter-day Saint (Mormon) women. Kathryn lives with her husband, Reed, and their children in the mountain west.