This week, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists begins recommending that every pregnant woman, regardless of age, be offered a choice of tests for Down Syndrome, the birth defect that can affect every one in 750 births.

The standard statistics read: if a mother is over 35 when she gives birth, her chance of having a child with Down Syndrome increases greatly. However – and here’s the tricky part – 80% of all babies with Down Syndrome are born to mothers UNDER the age of 35. Easier tests, safer than the long needle of amniocentesis, are now available to test for the extra chromosome.

Knowing my son needed surgery in the first few days of life was pivotal information in choosing which hospital I would birth in. I was able to wade through the social medical system in , which can be good, but culturally hard to withstand for long periods of time. We were able to choose the best surgeon we could find. And, we scrambled for funds to pay for it since our insurance denied our son’s right to care.

Information is a tricky beast. I did not know my son had Trisomy 21 until he was born. Would have I wanted to know? Will the world eradicate this “condition?” Abortion is not legal in , so Down Syndrome will always be a part of this society, as long as Papa has a say in things. Is it a good thing to choose the sex, physical, mental, and genetic make-up of our children? I have no idea how to answer these questions.

My son’s health issues push the absolute limit of my existence. There are short periods where we sail through the days and fly through the nights. However, he has this breathing problem that riddles with me with exhaustion; compromises my own health and tosses me often into rounds of anger and depression. Eradicating a child with Down Syndrome does not guarantee that the next one will not have other medical, cognitive, social, or emotional concerns.

Information is invaluable - it’s what we do with it that can move us through challenging steps in life that, at one time, we may have thought impossible to surmount.

Chosen a child with Down Syndrome? That’s a mute point now. I was chosen for this. I never knew I could learn so much about my SELF through the genes of a little boy. It’s something I may not have asked for, but you can never tell what’s in a gift by the packaging.