Julie McConnel was eager to start a fresh life after remarrying. She already had three children from a past marriage, and after having a son with her current husband Dan, they decided to try for a girl. However, in the middle of their endeavours, Julie was reminded once more that life may be completely unpredictable. She became pregnant, without a doubt… with twins.
Now, the chances of a lady having a child with Down syndrome grows to one in 100 after the age of 40, so Julie and Dan knew they’d go through all the tests. They eventually realised that her twin sons would be born with the condition.
Julie, 45, was concerned that the additional pressure of having two children with special needs would be too much for her. Instead, she and Dan used the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network to find a family willing to adopt the twins.
Nevertheless, after finding a new home for their kids, Julie and Dan found themselves repeatedly putting off completing the paperwork that would finalise the adoption.
She explained that they wanted to do their homework, so they contacted the local Down syndrome society. In Julie’s words, “They were having a picnic, so we went and met several fantastic families who shared their stories with us.”
“You adore your children regardless of what. It was easy to make our decision when we finally determined that we weren’t going to let our fear stand in our way,” Julie remarked.
They decided to keep their sons after all, even though they were in their third trimester. Milo and Charlie were born healthy and happy, and Julie and Dan can’t picture their lives without them.
Julie expressed that the moment she saw them her heart sprang out of her chest. She was completely smitten. It’s difficult to fathom life without them, however she supposed she would have missed them every day if they hadn’t opted to keep them.
It’s wonderful to have such happy endings. All children deserve an opportunity in life, and we are overjoyed that Julie and Dan chose to keep Milo and Charlie.
