Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! We're super excited for all of the food and family love, and are wishing you all a great time with your family! For this post, I'd love to share some thanks to those who have had an incredible impact on us the last year. Most importantly, I am forever thankful for being blessed with having Michael as a twin brother. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, about 67-85% of fetuses in the United States and Europe are aborted after prenatal screening for Down Syndrome. In most of these cases, these are due to a lack of understanding regarding the DS community. If it weren't for Michael, I very well too could have had the same outlook. When I first attended UCSD, I would tell other students about having a twin brother with Down Syndrome, and some of them would still ask me what Down Syndrome is! For being at such a prestigious school, this really baffled me. It made me realize that there needs to be an increased sense of understanding surrounding the disabled community. Through sharing Michael’s story, I aspire to not only give others a glimpse into living with a disabled sibling but to also disband the negative connotation surrounding the disabled community. I look forward to inspiring others to live not only their best lives, but to learn, grow, and approach life with the same sense of love and joy that people like my own brother do. And not to forget how thankful we are to all of you who follow and share our blog! So grateful for the endless support from friends, and for being part of an especially supportive swim team. This past year we have met so many incredible families who have the same mission as us-- to raise awareness and enlighten the image surrounding the special needs community. Go ahead and check some of them out in the Other Stories and Other Sites section of our blog :) I cannot express how grateful I am to be surrounded with so many inspirational souls. And lastly, I'd love to give thanks to my Mom, for always being incredibly supportive of everything I've been doing, and for constantly spoiling Michael with love. Thank you for being our #1 fan since Day 1 :) Thanks again for reading! As always, feel free to comment or submit any questions in the contact form :) |
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Michael
Michael is my twin brother who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome upon our birth. He is completely non-verbal, but never fails to show his love to everyone. He loves going to the beach and watching the waves, along with going on walks.
AuthorHello! My name is Julia and I am Michael's twin sister. I'm a chocolate loving, busy college student and swim for UCSD. Archives
November 2017
Michael's Instagram Account:@beyond_the_waves_blog
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