Thank you to my fabulous writing tutor, Carey, for constantly pushing me beyond the limits of what I think is possible. Thank you to my parents, who gave me a set of amazing siblings. To Grayson/Ethel, I love you for forcing me to remember what it was like to look at the world from a six year old's point of view. Thanks to my countless friends for never failing to have open sets of ears. And a special thanks to Adrianna Rose, the wonderful baby sister to whom I dedicate every word I've written, am writing, and will write, the source of my undying awe and inspiration.
With that said, I would like to introduce you to Inside Adrianna's Books, a blog intended to give my nine year old sister an opportunity to have her story told and remembered by millions. Allow me to tell you a little bit about us.
Adrianna is actually very rarely referred to as "Adrianna", unless she is a) being called into a doctor's appointment, at which she emphatically calls back, "No Adrianna!!!" b) when she is met by new professionals or c) when she is in big, big trouble. But to most Adrianna has always been Anna (soft A's on both ends).
Anna is beautiful, if you haven't already gathered from her pictures. With her porcelain skin, dark "fly-away" hair, and pale blue eyes, she is simply stunning. She has my father's personality: generally laid back, stubborn as anyone I've ever seen, unmovable when she finally makes up her mind, slow to decide, quick to nothing, has a sparkle in her eye, and hates being pushed into mornings. The two of them share too many personality traits to mention, but let me make one more comparison. They both love to read. Unfortunately my dad suffered hearing loss throughout his childhood and thus found school to be a grueling chore. Reading was the one subject in which he did not have to be able to hear well in order to be successful. Now as far as we know, Anna's hearing is fine and although she has not yet been able to fully master the art of reading, she adores books in the way my dad does. I'm not sure whether it's the feel of a cover beneath her small, rounded fingertips, or the smell of the well worn page of her favorite book, or just the comfort of knowing she has something that's her's alone, but there's something in those books that she is inexplicably attached to. She will stack them and look at the pictures for hours. In the car, on the couch, in front of the TV. Everywhere! In all of her usual therapists' offices, she knows exactly where to find the book corner! It's adorable on some occasions, and on others frustrating. But it's a constant, a reliable fact that I have a feeling will never change. As she grows older I can't wait to see that stack of books sitting next to her grow shorter, the books themselves growing thicker, and the print smaller. I can see it so clearly, and yet it is only but a dream.
It's discouraging to constantly be surrounded by peers who talk so indifferently about people with disabilities. As if individuals that are not considered perfect are nothing but blobs who have no life, no goals, and no dreams. Obviously that statement is ludicrous, seeing that people with Down Syndrome and or any other disability are perfectly capable of all of those things and in most cases are the farthest thing from blobs. But in order to prove my point to peers or to anyone else for that matter, I decided to delve into a wealth of personal successes, interviewing individuals with Down Syndrome and also their biggest advocates, their moms. Although I began the process of interviewing these families with the sole intention of teaching others about the capabilities of people with Down Syndrome, I found myself learning and appreciating the incredible lengths to which all families of a child with a disability must go to in order to have a productive, creative, independent son or daughter. I hope by sharing glimpses of what I was able to see through these interviews, all of the viewers will be educated, entertained, and encouraged to reach for the stars no matter who you are.
I present to you Dream Catchers.
-Kristina
