This Friday is World Down Syndrome Day(WDSD)….World Down Syndrome Day is a global awareness day celebrated on 21st March every year.

The date for WDSD being the 21st day of then 3rd month, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication(trisomy) of the 21st chromosome, which results in Trisomy 21 or more often known as Down Syndrome.

In conversations I have had with people over the last almost 6 years since Veronika arrived, I have had people say things like….

‘I don’t know how you do it’ or

‘Your such a strong person, of course you will cope’ or

‘I couldn’t do what you do’

Statements likes these, even though they are spoken with good intentions and love, still shock me…. I often think ‘how do I do what?’

Love my child?

Of course I love Veronika, just like I love her brothers Jordan and Jakob.

You see love doesn’t count chromosomes.

I’m a Mum, a wife, a friend, a Carer, a therapist and an advocate amongst other things.

I remember back to when Veronika was around 5 months old, and I had has someone say something along the lines of ‘your such a strong person, of course you will cope’. I remember having a ‘moment’ and hating that comment…..because to me it felt like I wasn’t allowed to have those ‘moments’ when it all seemed so much because people ‘expected’ me to cope.

But love doesn’t count chromosomes….

And I love our three children dearly, and would do anything for them.

So here comes the crazy part….

I have always been a dreamer, a goal setter, a challenger.

The last 5 months I have finally started doing something for myself, physically and mentally. Last October my GP wrote another referral for me to have a steroid injection in my shoulder to treat the injury caused by lifting and carrying Veronika. I thought there had to be a better way than to have another injection. I figured if I could strengthen the muscles around my shoulder then that might help, and maybe help the constant back pain too.
When our eldest Jordan was at water polo training of a Saturday afternoon last October, Rachael a friend and I decided we might as well have a crack at swimming laps. I am not a lap swimmer, and never had been. Trying to ‘swim’ that 1st  50 metres that day, my lungs hurt, I mean really hurt. But slowly bit by bit I began to be able to swim further…..and now I can swim 2km…..

So I have decided to set myself a goal…

To swim 321km over the next year. Why 321? To represent 3 copies of the 21st chromosome = 321km

I will strive to achieve this goal over the year until WDSD in March 2015.

I want to use this swim goal to help raise awareness of people with Down syndrome, but also for Carers. One thing I have learnt over the last almost 6 years is that Carers tend to put themselves last on the list of priorities….but how can we continue to care for our loved ones long term without 1st taking the time to look after ourselves?

So this Friday March 21st, I will start off following the black line in the bottom of the pool, on my goal to swim 321 for t21…..I will swim for Veronika