Author: Nacy

“I took my child Lottie to a birthday party in the early fall of 2019. We rarely go anywhere with just one kid, especially then. It stands out in my mind still because it was such an eye-opening experience with only one kid in tow, so very different than our normal outings of chasing so many kids. Lottie was 4 at the time. It was at a park. Lottie just…ran off and played with the other kids. And I stood back and watched and chatted with other parents. I didn’t have to stay a few feet behind her. I didn’t…

“After having one miscarriage and one ectopic pregnancy, it was time to have the talk. My husband and I sat down in January 2015 and decided no more children. It had been a hard, painful road, but we were a happy family of 3. We let pain, fear, and ‘what if’s’ take over. The very next day I saw one pregnancy test in the bathroom. Something was telling me to take it. My mind was like, ‘Just do it so you can throw it away and close this part of your life.’ To my surprise, it was positive. I had…

“On April 19th, 2020, we found out the best news: we were expecting our rainbow baby after experiencing a devastating miscarriage in February 2020. When I read the pregnancy test, I was ecstatic but also terrified of losing again. After the emotions I went through when I went through, carrying this baby felt so much scarier. I felt like I was walking on eggshells for the first trimester, praying constantly nothing would go wrong. I had been pregnant before—my older daughter Savannah had just turned 3 when we found out we were pregnant with our rainbow baby, but it was…

Young Adulthood “My story starts in 2016. I was fresh out of Vassar College with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology with no idea how I was going to use it. So, at 22 years old, I began working at Dell as a call center agent. I was making the most money I’d ever made, I had my own apartment, a cat, and nothing but time. I spent it trying to fill a void inside of myself through dating, casual sex, and working to make my home feel like a sanctuary. Courtesy of Cierra My stability was tangible, but mentally, I…

“She might have down syndrome, but she is still beautiful. Can she get a share for her cute smile? Kids with special needs are not weird or odd. They only want what everyone else wants…to be accepted. Can I make a request? Is anyone willing to post this photo in honor of all children who were made in a unique way. Let’s see who has a strong heart. I see quotes and images like this a lot on social media. They really do a disservice to disabled people. It portrays people in the wrong way! Disabled people are not cute…

“When I found out I was pregnant with my son, I was absolutely overjoyed. This was our rainbow baby, our miracle, the sibling we dreamed of for our daughter, and the baby I’ve dreamt of holding in my arms for so long. Since we had a miscarriage in September of 2018, when we found out this baby was due in September of 2019, I felt certain it was a sign things would go well this time. It was the news I prayed so hard for. How could anything go wrong? Courtesy of Victoria Godfrey On September 11th, 2019, I gave…

“Lean into the unexpected. You’d be surprised where it takes you. Adeline Blake Manna Quarello was born on July 21st, 2020 in the middle of a pandemic in a cold OR. I had a planned c-section three weeks before my due date because of some tremendous pain and stenosis in my upper cervical spine. I was so excited to not be pregnant anymore and to meet our daughter that I practically skipped into that OR. Despite the crazy pandemic circumstances and the anxiety I carried inside about experiencing my first major surgery, the room was full of a beautiful energy.…

Courtesy of Ruzan Forrest I know it’s hard to know what exactly to say to a special needs parent and I myself have made mistakes prior to having my son. People say these things with good intentions, but here is five things you should NOT say to a special needs parent: 1. “I’m Sorry” No need to be sorry, no tragedy happened to our family. My son is alive, healthy and enjoying his life like any other kid. 2. “You Are An Amazing Parent, I Can’t Imagine How You Do It” Ah, an all-time classic. I am not an…

“Early on a dark and cold November morning, my partner, Ross, and I were walking the dogs before work. We both saw the same shooting star burn across the sky and we both made a wish to ourselves. After 6 months of trying for our much-wanted baby, we finally fell pregnant in November 2020. It was during the heaviest Covid restrictions and everywhere was in lockdown. We were overjoyed and decided to tell our families and close friends at Christmas when I was 8-weeks pregnant. I had been working as a nurse on a busy surgical ward, and we decided…

“Jesus is Magic. At 2:17 a.m. last night, Gideon violently woke up from his fretful slumber and vomited for the 10th time in 18 hours. I was there next to him armed with a bucket, a baby wipe and a reassuring voice. Sometimes I’m afraid to talk about the extra. The extra challenges. The extra hardships. The extra care a child with a disability needs. I’m fearful if I externally verbalize the difficulties that come with having a beloved with an extra chromosome, that the readers (abstractly, not personally) will silently nod in agreement with each other and collectively justify…

“Dear Heart Moms, It’s okay to cry…and cry a lot! And at all the places. My favorite was in my car when I knew no one else was watching. Or at a stoplight. Or just driving down the highway. Because nothing, I repeat, nothing is going to prepare you for what you are about to see or when your baby is about to have open heart surgery. I don’t care how many photos of other babies you see, when you see your baby lying there limp and attached to so many cords that you can barely see their body, it’s…

“To the mama who is on a parenting journey that is much more difficult than most, this is for you. To the mama who crawls into bed at night aching from head to toe from the constant lifting, carrying, and re-positioning of her child who is unable to move themselves and the lugging around of equipment that you have been doing all day, this is for you. To the mama who sheds a tear behind her sunglasses at the park when she sees other kids running and jumping around, knowing hers may never get to do this, this is for…

While the whole world is going crazy for Keanu Reeves’ awesomeness, it looks like that he’s got quite a confident competitor. And that happens to be Dwayne Johnson. He managed to become more than an actor for a Texas-based family (and thousands of other people) after he posted a video recorded specifically for their sick son. Bright Side admires that the actor took some time to provide support and hope to a little boy and acknowledge that his family is going through the struggle of their life. “I am strong,” — Hyrum repeats these words every day. © April Harris / Facebook Hyrum Harris is only 3 years old, but right now he is in the beginning of a fight for his life with a very dangerous rival. Several months ago…

26 years ago, Grace Strobel was born with Down syndrome, and doctors said that she wouldn’t be able to read or tie her shoes. Today, she has become a determined young lady, a model who is shaking up the beauty industry, and an activist who is touring schools and inspiring thousands of children. Her goal is clear and powerful — she wants “people to rethink what’s possible.” At Bright Side, we were impressed by Grace’s one-of-a-kind story. Her willingness to turn her struggles into a mission to help others proves that we all have the power to make the world a better place. Born to be different © grace_strobel / Instagram When Linda first heard that her unborn child might have Down syndrome, her ’’world was rocked,’’ and she said that…

Lately, many ads and campaigns have begun to make statements about diversity, accepting your body, racism awareness, and disabilities. Models of all ages, skin tones, and body types appear on magazine covers and proudly walk the runway. This summer, a young model with a disability was chosen to be the face of Gucci’s newest ’Unconventional Beauty’ campaign that supports non-stereotypical beauty. We at Bright Side are encouraged by people who are not afraid to be themselves. And we admire the companies that choose to show diversity in their campaigns. 1. Gucci © elliejg16_zebedeemodel / Instagram, © elliejg16_zebedeemodel / Instagram Ellie Goldstein, an 18-year-old model with Down syndrome loves attention and has always wanted to be famous. Goldstein has never let her condition get in the way…

eing a parent on its own can be challenging. But raising kids with special needs is an even greater challenge. No parent is ready to receive an unwelcoming diagnosis for their child, and staying positive in these situations can be hard. But the unconditional and pure love children give has the power to make all your worries and fears fade away. We at Bright Side love to see how well these celebrities’ kids are doing, and we hope it will make your day brighter too. 1. Denise Richards © deniserichards / Instagram, © deniserichards / Instagram Denise Richards adopted Eloise not long after she was born. Later, she was diagnosed with a deletion in chromosome 8, which affected her development. For a long time, Eloise couldn’t sit…

As a photographer, I have always dreamt about the opportunity to do portrait photography of moms and their kids. I didn’t even expect that my dream will ever come true in such a beautiful way. Finally, when Mother’s day was coming, there came a possibility to capture moms with their unique kids – children with special needs. I often notice that when people take photos of special needs children, they try to expose their disability. I didn’t want to do that. All I wanted was to show the true love of mothers and their beautiful children. It was a really…

I am one of those people who have been greatly blessed by growing up with a sister who had Down Syndrome. Dina was the best thing that could have ever happened to our family. She taught us what true unconditional love is and how to go through life without worries. She would light up any room that she walked into, and people were always drawn to her sweet yet stubborn personality. When I think back, my mind automatically goes to my childhood memories with her. Good memories with her. My mom and Dina were the absolute best of friends and…

Kinsey French, a special education teacher from Kentucky, not only got engaged in front of her whole class, but also invited her students, all with Down Syndrome, to the ceremony. On June 3rd the whole class from Christian Academy Rock Creek became flower girls and ring bearers and led their teacher down the aisle. “They were like family to me,” French told WLKY. “They were my first class and they’ve been my only class and so I knew I couldn’t have a special day without them.” Later, the students told that their favorite parts were the food and the dancing. Take…

A Down syndrome diagnosis for your child can be scary. I hope that when parents facing a new diagnosis (or just people in general!) see these photos of my four-year-old daughter and her BFF just enjoying the carnival – all they see is joy, beauty, and hope. Willow and Mason both are rocking their extra chromosome and have survived multiple open heart surgeries. I am Willow’s mom, and the photographer that took these photos. I hope they brighten your day! Source: boredpanda.com

The war in Ukraine is in its 111th day, with hundreds of people leaving their homes each day. And whilst sorrow, misery, fear, and uncertainty rain down on those caught up in the horridness of it all, there are some lights that shine through the darkness and bring hope to those that need it the most. One of those is a young refugee with Down syndrome, who only agreed to leave because his mother assured him they were going to meet his hero, John Cena. The wrestling star, having heard their story, was determined to make that happen. Go grab some…

A year ago we, Irena Mila, Elena Fidanovska, Verica Piperevska as authors of this artworks, the sociologist Ivanna Hadzievska and Ance Tufekdzieva, Daniela Mircheska as parents of kids with Down Syndrome and Autism and Teano Cardula as a sister to our Erato, started our first photo – project, first of its kind in Macedonia called „Awakening“. With couple of exhibitions and events during the past year we managed to rise the awareness about the people with disabilities and rare diseases and conditions demonstrating what they could do rather than what they couldn’t. In our campaign our friends with condition Down…

18-month-old William (Wil) Lawrence, the youngest in his family, was born a little bit different from the rest of his brothers and sisters, but that won’t hold him back. Wil has Down syndrome, but thanks to a bit of Photoshop magic and some ingenious photo ideas from his photographer dad Alan, he also has a very special gift – Wil can fly! Alan, who lives in Utah with his wife and 5 beautiful children (with one more on the way), takes the photos with the hope that they will inspire Wil; “These beautiful photos of Wil flying have taken on…

“First and foremost I am” series consists of 21 portraits of people who all have Down syndrome. 21 portrait, since the trisomy of the 21st chromosome causes Down syndrome. I photographed people aged from 9 months to 60 years. One of the reason I did this project was because of this radio interview I heard about the ethical questions we face now, that we can choose who gets to live and who doesn’t. The aim with prenatal diagnosis is to detect birth defects such as Down syndrome and more. Where are we headed? Will people choose not to keep an embryo…