{"id":250444,"date":"2021-08-05T16:40:43","date_gmt":"2021-08-05T21:40:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=250444"},"modified":"2021-08-05T13:37:42","modified_gmt":"2021-08-05T18:37:42","slug":"ireland-lifeline-down-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/ireland-lifeline-down-syndrome\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireland has a ‘lifeline’ for parents with a Down syndrome diagnosis"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When Orla Browne had her son Harry three years ago in Ireland, she found herself overwhelmed when he received a diagnosis of Down syndrome at birth. In the early haze of navigating the diagnosis, one of her first “lifelines” was Down Syndrome Ireland<\/a> (DSI), an organization that “provide[s] support and services to people with Down syndrome and their families.”<\/p>\n

In an interview with The Clare Champion<\/a>, Browne discusses how important DSI was to her after receiving Harry’s diagnosis. She said that while she received a lot of information about what might be “wrong” with her son, DSI instead provided immense support and reassurance. “We were in fear of what his life would be like and looking back there was no need to be,” she said. “I got in contact with one of the parent support workers, who came out to us with her little boy, and that was the first time I thought, ‘This is going to be okay\u2019.”<\/p>\n

READ: Northern Ireland mother starts charity to help new parents of children with Down syndrome<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Browne said that many of the families she met through DSI have helped her find the best therapists, services, and support for her and Harry. For instance, DSI has subsidized a therapist that has experience working with children with Down syndrome, which Browne says has made all the difference for Harry’s development.<\/p>\n