CSB Part 2
My brother and his wife just had their first child. Shortly after the birth, they found out he has Downs Syndrome and will also need surgery to correct a heart issue. My brother's wife's family has some distant connection to the Bradens. Ben found out through the grapevine about everything and visited the hospital, bringing some mgogifts. Ben was really nice, sticking around for quite some time. He even talked football with us for awhile.
February 22nd, 2016 at 12:58 PM ^
Cool story indeed. All the best to your brother and his wife - can't imagine.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:07 PM ^
Very awesome story. Went to high school with the mother, actually, and Ben graduated a couple years after us. So happy everything seems to be going well for them and the baby.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:07 PM ^
I wish you and your brother the very best. Thanks for sharing. My baby girl just rolled for the first time last night, although I missed it.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:08 PM ^
Aren't you the guy who recently met Mario O in California or something? Your picture looks familiar.
Regardless, best of luck to your family.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:47 PM ^
The OP is Zelig.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:12 PM ^
I thought the exact same thing...this guy knows everyone!
EDIT: meant to reply to Kermit.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:12 PM ^
That's why I called it "Part 2" :)
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:14 PM ^
You were ten steps ahead of me - I thought I missed part 1 sometime this weekend! +1 to you
February 22nd, 2016 at 2:07 PM ^
Why do you look like you just spent 2 days not sleeping in the hospital while your brother looks fine despite the most emotional experience of his life?
February 22nd, 2016 at 2:29 PM ^
Ben came on day 6 of the hospital stay. There are some pics of me looking more ragged than my wife. As for the OP, he works from home and this is pretty much his go to look lol.
February 22nd, 2016 at 2:19 PM ^
That's just how I look.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:27 PM ^
Aware the sadness of one member of the family often spreads throughout the entire family due to concern, I want you to know there are more people than you can even imagine hoping for the very best possible outcome.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:55 PM ^
I'm the brother of the OP and father of the baby. The support we've had from family, nurses, and the everyone really has been incredible. Sadness turned to excitement within an hour. We are so excited for Martin Jr's bright future!
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:57 PM ^
Welcome to the board and enjoy that beautiful baby boy. Time fricking flies.
February 22nd, 2016 at 2:01 PM ^
I posted below too but wanted to say congratulations dad to dad of a son with Down Syndrome. Things will be very overwhelming at first but I promise things do settle down. I'm so happy to hear you say the sadness turned to excitement within an hour. Your son will take you on an incredible journey!! I'm only a few years into mine and can't believe how much I've been changed and blessed by my son.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:30 PM ^
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:31 PM ^
My understanding is that the heart issues are sadly common with Downs kids, but the treatment protocols (happily) have gotten much better. And the support structures in schools, etc., are lightyears better than they were just a generation ago. All the best to your nephew and his family.
I will say that the little lad looks awfully fly with that Michigan onesie and knit Michigan hat! Starting him off right, I see.
February 22nd, 2016 at 2:31 PM ^
Yea we were really freaked out at first, but the genetecist assured us the success rate of the surgery is almost 99%. Thank goodness for medical advances.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:38 PM ^
As with the first part, this is a very cool story indeed.
Best wishes to you as well as your brother and your family. I see from one of the photos that we are starting him off with plenty of the correct gear too. Very nice.
Hopefully, all goes well with the surgery and the recovery is nice and speedy.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:52 PM ^
On the new addition to your family. My youngest son who will be 3 in March has Down syndrome and we had a birth diagnosis as well. I know how scary it can be to receive that news when your child is born. Your nephew will be an amazing and wonderful addition to your family and will bless you in ways you can't even imagine yet. Now I can't imagine life without Down syndrome. Congratulations again and enjoy loving on that little guy.
February 22nd, 2016 at 1:58 PM ^
My wife and I have received so many reassurances like this. It took very little research to realize how fulfilling a life he can live. We have great expectations for him, and are really pumped to help him develop/meet other parents of kids with down syndrome.
February 22nd, 2016 at 2:07 PM ^
I remember how scared and overwhelmed we were when our son was born. It's good to hear you've received so much encouragement!! The Down syndrome community is full of amazing support. Wishing you and your wife all the best and praying all goes well with his heart condition.
February 22nd, 2016 at 2:18 PM ^
I am the Dad of 2 kids born with genetic defects - mine have trisomy9. When they were born in the early 80's, genetics wasn't even a recognized "science" then. It was living hell trying to sort things out and get a baseline so we could deal with it. So many advances a generation later. You have a ton of professional help and support available now - make sure you use it all so that your boy can grow and develop to his max potential. When my daughter was born we were told she wouldn't see her 5th birthday. She turns 33 in March. Good luck on your journey - parenthood will be different than what you conceptualized, but it will still be very fulfilling - I promise!
February 22nd, 2016 at 2:28 PM ^
Yea pretty sure my wife and I will have it a little easier than you. Within 6 hours of his birth the genetecist gave us a book on parenting children with Trisomy 21, and a binder full of resources. We are planning on early intervention. People have been crawling out of the woodwork to help. Very touching and inspiring. Congrats on the health of your child! That is awesome!
February 22nd, 2016 at 5:12 PM ^
Our son with Down Syndrome is actually a twin (fraternal).....and our family wishes you all the best in your parenting journey with your son. You may see us some year at a Polar Plunge in Michigan Stadium f.b.o. Special Olympics, like the one we participated in this past Friday night.....
One sports item you may not have heard about yet: (assuming you're local) check out the Miracle Leagues in Southfield or Plymouth if you want your son to play baseball when he is older.....we have loved that experience (Southfield: www.michiganmiracle.org).
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:19 PM ^
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:44 PM ^
As a father of an 8 yr old with Down Syndrome, I can tell you that your life will never be the same. And that's not a bad thing. He makes us laugh every day, can put a smile on your face on your worst day, and can light up a room with his smile. My wife and I knew prior to birth that he would be born with Down Syndrome as well as heart issues so we had a head start on what to expect. At 16 weeks old we put our trust and his life in the hands of the medical team at CS Mott to repair his heart. They did an amazing job!! 8 yrs later and he's going strong. We view him as a typical kid. He's a 2nd grader and he loves to learn (his reading, writing and basic math skills improve every week), he loves video games and every sport under the sun (plays basketball, baseball, soccer with other kids with developmental delays and played tball & soccer with other boys and girls his own age in the past, and he loves going to the driving range). Just thought I'd give you something positive to contradict many of the outdated stories that you will more than likely come across (I'm sure we came across many of the same ones).
Congrats to you and your wife.
February 23rd, 2016 at 10:14 AM ^
February 23rd, 2016 at 8:19 AM ^
My wife and I are in the Grand Rapids area as well. The Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan is a great resource and a great way to connect with other families!! My wife is way more plugged in than I am and it has been really good for her. We've participated in young athletes through the Special Olympics already with our son. I would be happy to pass on our contact information if you ever have any questions or just need to talk.
February 22nd, 2016 at 7:20 PM ^
I'm the father of a twin with Ds and I want to encourage you to have those great expectations. Nothing was better than hearing our daughter sing "Let's Go Blue!" at 4! Every day is a blessing and your family will experience great, great things. Not sure where you live, but if you're looking to meet a whole lot of great families, we've started our own network that reaches from B'Ham to the Pointes. We welcome you with open arms.
February 22nd, 2016 at 4:12 PM ^
Downs. or not, he'll have great opportunities open to him! But I also want to shout out Ben Braden for stopping by with swag - class move by that kid, whether a family acquaintance, or not! I don't think we ever get enough of the stories from athletes visiting Mott, or wherever else, just to help people try to feel better. Really glad they do that stuff!
February 22nd, 2016 at 4:47 PM ^
Great to see this thoughtfulness from the squad and Ben. More importantly, the very best of luck to the little one and his family - God Bless.
February 22nd, 2016 at 5:30 PM ^
February 22nd, 2016 at 10:21 PM ^