“The Congratulations Project gives us palpable proof of love circulating through this spectacular global community.”
BY GRACE WAHLE
PALS Congratulations
Project Associate
In an era of sweeping restrictions on in-person gatherings and travel, PALS quickly identified one area where we could safely continue to serve the at-large Down syndrome community: The Congratulations Project. With so much fear, loss, and uncertainty weighing on the world, we doubled our efforts to spread hope and joy across the globe in the handwritten words of PALS participants with Down syndrome.
Throughout the pandemic, families of new babies with Down syndrome have still received the same, simple message: “Congratulations.” Amid an unprecedented time, Robyn Newbury, Congratulations Project office manager and PALS parent volunteer, worked tirelessly to continue distributing Congratulations Project letters nearly every day across the United States and the world. Thanks to her efforts, we have welcomed families from 47 countries into the PALS community. New recipients reside in Serbia, Nicaragua, Zambia, Thailand, and Scotland, to name a few. Many families, having felt the positive impact of their letter, responded to the author to initiate a new friendship.
Here is one of those responses:
Our family is from Serbia. Our baby Toma is 11 months old. His brother, Sava, is soon to be four years old. We didn’t know for sure Toma had DS while I was pregnant, but our 2nd trimester screening indicated a high probability of DS. We declined invasive tests, and no soft markers were found during ultrasound checkups. We figured we were ready for anything, but the postnatal diagnosis was still a bit of a shock.
My pregnancy was an unpleasant experience for us, treatment-wise. It was as if the entire medical system had been on a seek-and-destroy mission regarding the wonderful human being minding his own business, i.e. growing peacefully in my belly. It was scary and infuriating. It’s sad to think about all the other parents who had gone through the entire schedule of appointments, tests, bombarded with nothing except negative information and this seek-and-destroy attitude. This has to change. We’re hoping to make a difference, locally, by creating our own organization.
Once Toma was born, he was in for a rough patch: neonatal sepsis, then pneumonia, both life-threatening in severity. He and I spent 2.5 months in various hospitals. It was hard. But Toma is now thriving. He’s so magical, funny, persistent, wise, gentle, and kind. Roaming around on all fours with his two teeth, “singing” and babbling and playing with his big brother. Every moment with this child is magical.
For parents of children with special needs, living in Serbia is fairly okay, if one knows how to navigate through the system. Inclusion is a big deal in the public school system, and the universal healthcare system provides more than enough specialists in various areas. So, the system itself (postnatal!) is fairly okay, but in order to gather with like-minded folks for some personal support, we had to look beyond the borders.
We were first introduced to your wonderful project by the awesome DSDN Network. We instantly reached out and applied for a letter. Several weeks later, a letter by a beautiful young man named Zack arrived. It has been so heartwarming to read and cherish. It was the first letter Toma had ever received, full of beautiful wishes for us and our little boy. Thank you Zack, and thank you PALS! It means a lot. The Congratulations Project gives us palpable proof of love circulating through this spectacular global community. We hope we will stay in touch – both with Zack, to whom we replied via congratulationsproject.org, and with you all. And we hope some day, through the Congratulations Project, our Toma will make someone as happy as we were when we received Zack’s letter. Thank you for this great gift of love, encouragement, and connection, and for making it work even during these challenging times.
Lots of love from Šabac, Serbia
In many areas of the world, individuals with Down syndrome and their families may not have access to local support organizations. Through The Congratulations Project, PALS aspires to expand our global reach, delivering the message of joy, hope, and welcome to families in every country and community around the world. Especially in times of turmoil, we are grateful for the opportunity to share hope with families new to our community, especially during this unprecedented age of uncertainty.
Through our outreach to these new families, and by sharing their stories with our community and the world, we hope to continue – albeit from a distance – to inspire a more inclusive world of belonging. We dream of a day where our campers’ words of welcome are one of a chorus of positive and encouraging sentiments.
Despite all that’s happened, and all that stands in our way, The Congratulations Project forges onward. We’re accelerating hard because we believe now, more than ever, that everyone – regardless of their ability status, race, gender, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic differences – deserves to belong.
To learn more, get involved, or request a letter for yourself or another family, visit The Congratulations Project website.
