TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
Fearfully & Wonderfully Made BY KARA HUMPHREY
WILL IT BE A BOY OR GIRL? WHO WILL THEY LOOK LIKE? HOW BIG WILL THEY BE? WILL I BE A GOOD PARENT?
When a child is born, eager moms and dads experience an array of emotions elicited by few other days in their lives. Hearing that first cry brings a sigh of relief as they look to the medical professionals surrounding them in the busy delivery room to give the “all is well” thumbs up. Eight years ago, Kristi and Clint Lachowsky, who were about to be parents for the second time, anxiously anticipated every emotion that would accompany the addition of another daughter to their family. The previous nine months had been full of all the routine prenatal testing ordered by Kristi’s obstetrician, and things seemed to progress smoothly. However, when the day finally arrived, the Lachowsky family received news they were not expecting. As a registered nurse, Kristi worked in the newborn nursery at CHRISTUS St. Michael, so it was her close friends and coworkers
who supported her for the delivery. “My favorite story is Mallory’s birth story,” she said. “We did not find out Mallory had Down syndrome until the moment she was born. The doctor knew immediately. The whole delivery room fell silent, and everyone was in complete shock; the fear of the unknown can just leave you in shock. I cried the first time I held her, and I even told her I was sorry she had Down syndrome. It was my sweet, amazing friend who looked at me and said, ‘Don’t you apologize for that! She is exactly who God wants her to be.’” Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that occurs when abnormal cell division causes a full or partial copy of chromosome 21. The severity of Down syndrome varies from person to person but can cause intellectual disabilities and delays and other medical conditions, including heart and gastrointestinal disorders. It is
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COMMUNITY & CULTURE
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