Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. It’s been almost 5 years, and you feel like I abandoned you, but we’ve been a little busy. I’ll do a more in depth recap to catch you up on all the goings on with Rumi and our family, but for right now I want to tell you about a new podcast I’m working on called My Heart is Aiken, hosted by Mara Bell.
Mara has “filter-free” chats with other moms about raising a child with Down syndrome (or other diagnosis), “momming” in general, and how your life changes the second you decide to have a kid. Basically, they talk about all the hard stuff no one really talks about in public, or show on their curated Instagram feeds, about raising a child with a diagnosis. There’s a lot of laughter, some tears, and tons of great information shared every week. If you have a kiddo with a Down syndrome, or know someone who does, you should check it out. I’m really proud of the work we’re doing.
When we moved back here one of the big things on our “To Do List” was to find a local Down Syndrome group that we could join. We had been quite spoiled with Club 21 in Pasadena, CA and were hopeful that something like existed in PA. While there is a larger group called the Down Syndrome Associate of Pittsburgh (DSAP), they didn’t offer the same level of involvement and connection we were hoping to find. Plus, most of the events were held in Pittsburgh, which isn’t always the most convenient location to get to. We did meet some folks in our area, and that was great, but we wanted more.
So Karyn decided to create our own little group, The Down Syndrome Community Meetup Group, that would meet once a month at our local library. It was a slow start, but people were receptive to it, and with the input and help of another mom, Jessie, who was also looking for greater connections, it has slowly grown into something that families look forward to and attend regularly. There are about 20 families who show up once a month to let their kids play and while they connect with other parents. It’s pretty great.
Long story short, I met Mara at one of the meetups, attended the awesome World Down Syndrome Day Dance that she puts together every year, and found out she wanted to make a podcast. And since I love helping other people tell their stories, I jumped at the chance to help her produce the show. The rest is being written as I type.
The moral of the story is: When you don’t find what you’re looking for, sometimes you have to go out and create it yourself. Whether it’s a community group or a podcast.
Hold On Let Go 