From Helen Weathers, writing the “Femail” column of the [UK] Daily Mail, an extended interview with Rosa Monckton about her daughter Domenica, a young lady with an impressive set of connections. Domenica’s father is journalist Dominic Lawson, her aunt is celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, and the late Princess Diana was one of her mother’s best friends.

“After Domenica was born I have to confess I did indulge in the old ‘Why me?’ syndrome,” says Rosa, whose friend Princess Diana was a huge comfort to her and offered to be Domenica’s godmother.

… “Now I never think of what might have been. That way lies madness. Having a child with Down’s syndrome is not without its challenges. There is still a lot of prejudice and I’ve had to distance myself from my emotions when people stare.

“But Domenica has brought us so much joy, so much love. She has enriched our lives so much and made us realise what matters in life. She’s my daughter and she’s wonderful.”

Rosa hopes Domenica will go to college and live as independently as possible. Her biggest worry is what will happen when she and her husband are no longer around.

“There is very little support for adults with Down’s syndrome and the last thing we want is for her to go into any kind of sheltered accommodation that feels in any way institutionalized.”

*Editor’s note: The headline above is the one that appeared over the original story. If person-first language had been used, Domenica would have been described as a “daughter with Down syndrome,” not a “Down’s daughter.” Self advocates say they prefer person-first language because it emphasizes that the individual is more important than their diagnosis.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 15th, 2007 at 10:35 am and is filed under Down syndrome, celebrities, public attitudes, stigma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post