Gretchen Thibault, writing in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, says she was “thrilled” to see baby Trig on stage at the Republican convention. She and her husband are adoptive parents of a son, Ricky (at left), who has Down syndrome.

Thibault’s husband’s brother, Greg, was born with Down syndrome in 1959, and doctors urged the family to put him in an institution because “future children will be too embarrassed to bring their friends home.” Greg was raised at home, and died at the age of 18 of a heart condition that today would be treated with routine surgery. An excerpt:

As we see Trig Palin, one of the many children with special needs in the world, I hope those who are ignorant, by no fault of their own, grasp an understanding of the value of these precious lives and root it in their hearts. Let us be a country filled with individuals who don’t simply talk about caring for those less fortunate than we are, but that each of us actually accepts the responsibility and cultivates this virtue.

Ricky has eight cheerleaders in his home. He is a Rock Star — his red hair and blue glasses that frame his crystal blue eyes draw attention to him wherever we go. That great smile doesn’t hurt, either. Our pride bubbles over. We don’t mind him being at center stage. His nature makes us see life differently. While the stories of Greg’s life were always inspirational to me, life with Ricky has taught me and my children a lesson that no words can. I hope watching Trig grow before our eyes, as a nation, makes us better people.

(Photo of Ricky Thibault provided by Gretchen Thibault)

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 18th, 2008 at 5:03 am and is filed under Down syndrome, abortion, adoption, commentary, politics. 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