JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Florida mother shared how a nonprofit gave her the support and resources she needed to be the best parent for her son who was diagnosed with Down syndrome.
New research by the CDC reported most babies born with Down syndrome are born to mothers under the age of 35 years old.
Shannon Thomson talked about how surprised she was when doctors told her about her newborn’s diagnosis just moments after giving birth.
Thomson and her husband had been dreaming of holding their healthy baby boy Chase in their arms.
“He is all boy. He is loud, he is destructive, he is into everything, and he’s just so much fun,” Thomson said.
Chase is 1 year old now — a dream come true to Thomson who struggled to conceive.
She received IVF treatment at the Jacksonville Center of Reproductive Medicine, and finally got pregnant, carrying out a high-risk pregnancy.
Little did she know, her life would change just minutes after giving birth.
“I had an emergency C-section under general anesthesia,” Thomson said. “When I had my c-section, a nurse had my phone, and took two pictures of him for me. And so, when I woke up, I looked at those pictures and I just instantly knew. No one ever told me, no one ever talked me about it when we were in the hospital until we were discharged.”
Doctors diagnosed Chase with Down syndrome.
“At that moment, I was devastated, to be honest,” Thomson said.
Trying to find answers and support, Shannon joined a Facebook group full of mothers who have children with Down syndrome.
That’s when she stumbled across Jack’s Basket, a national nonprofit that sends baskets full of resources to parents with babies up to one year old who have Down syndrome.
“There was like a couple of toys, or a toy, like a onesie, a hat, books for him, there’s books for me,” Thomson said. “There’s so much information in there that you could find on your own, but you shouldn’t have to.”
That information gave Shannon the confidence and knowledge on how to properly care for baby Chase, who is thriving, healthy, and keeping his parents happy.
“This is what every mom needs when they receive this diagnosis,” Thomson said. “It gave me a sense of support that I hadn’t found.”