We attended our first Williams Syndrome Association picnic this past weekend. It was for the New England region. We were very excited to go (especially Jamie - he couldn't wait to go to the "pic-a-nic") and meet other families. And meet them we did! Clare was the youngest child with WS. The oldest "child" was 18 years old, and there was an 82-year old woman whose family is fairly confident that she has WS, even though she has never been officially diagnosed. It was wonderful to see the range of kids from toddlers to teenagers. It really gave us a feeling for what these children are like in all stages of life. Shawn and I were comforted to see that at first glance you would not be able to distinguish the kids with WS from the other kids. They were all acting like kids - which they are!! I think I left the picnic with two very important lessons:
1 - There is a wide range when it comes to WS. There were children there who had absolutely no heart conditions. Then there was a 9-year girl who had her first open heart surgery at 2 days old. There is (obviously) no predicting Clare's future!
2 - The children seemed to be happy, well-adjusted children. I chatted with two of the teenage girls, and they were so sweet. They giggled over their boyfriends like any "normal" teenager and were so open and friendly. I will be happy if Clare turns out like those two girls - very sweet, social girls with the biggest smiles.
We had a great time meeting the other families and talking to parents who are in the trenches with us. We made some good connections and look forward to another event in the future.
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