Special delivery provides comfort and connection for parents of children with Down syndrome – WTVG – 5/6/25

A special delivery provides comfort and connection for parents of children with Down syndrome. Every year, more than 5,000 babies are born with Down syndrome in the United States. That’s according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There’s a special organization that works to make sure those parents have support and connections from the very start. Jack’s Basket was started in Minnesota more than a decade ago. Since then, the non-profit’s reach has expanded to all 50 states and more than 50 countries.

It starts with a special delivery. And for a local mom, that experience inspired her to reach back to help others. 4-year-old Dawson is the center of Abby and Erich Schroeder’s world.

“He’s really just reminded us to slow down a bit and appreciate the little things. He cares for other people so deeply already. He’s so fun to be around. He makes everyone really happy,” Abby Schroeder said.

Abby said about 10 weeks into her pregnancy, prenatal testing showed there was a 50% chance her baby would be born with Down syndrome.

“At first it was fear, the unknown, not knowing what to expect,” Abby Schroeder said.

Knowing there was a possibility her baby would be born with Down syndrome, she signed up to receive a Jack’s Basket. But she didn’t open it right away.

“When it came, I was still dealing with fear and all kinds of emotions, so I actually set it aside for a long time. In fact, I didn’t look at it until the week before he was born,” Abby Schroeder said.

Months later, when she did finally explore the contents of the basket, she found comfort. Abby and Erich have found an entire village since then.

“With our journey, we found a whole new community that is full of support and people Dawson can connect with and other parents I can rely on,” Abby Schroeder said.

For the last year, Abby has been a parent volunteer for Jack’s Basket.

“I am going to St. V’s today to deliver a basket to a new mother who has a baby with Down syndrome. The basket has a bunch of resources like books and other things to help us realize every baby should be celebrated from the start. It’s changed me by making the world better for all our kids,” Abby Schroeder said.

Abby said she loves reaching back to share something that helped her family with others.

“I hope parents realize they’re not alone. It’s okay to be sad, it’s okay to be angry. We’re here as a resource to provide support and we want them to know we stand with them. We understand with they’re going through and we’re there for you for whatever you need,” Abby Schroeder said.

Abby said Dawson had a procedure to repair three holes in his heart in February. Abby said he has recovered well.