A Blessing to Our Lives – Grandparent’s Day 2024

Our granddaughter, Grace Francis entered our lives on May 20, 2019. Since that day, Grace has been an absolute blessing in our life. 

Before Grace was born, we had only limited exposure to Down syndrome. We had an adult in our parish with Down Syndrome and we were familiar with the Janet Pomeroy Center in San Francisco, which supports those with Down syndrome and other individuals with special needs. Beyond that, we didn’t have much of an understanding of the diagnosis. 

The night Grace’s mother received the diagnosis at three months pregnant, via telephone, home alone with her 2-year-old daughter, the news was quite a shock. This was Lisa’s second pregnancy and there was no family history of it. The diagnosis was delivered in a negative way that lacked empathy.

After the initial diagnosis sunk in, my first thought was that God chose the perfect couple to handle this unexpected challenge that was in front of them. I knew from day one that Grace was a lucky little girl to have Lisa and Joey as parents. They have embraced Grace’s diagnosis with patience, interest, love, and care. They are 100% devoted to her individual well-being and development.

As grandparents, we always want to lend our support, but initially, we were unsure how we could help. Today, five years later, we feel that our involvement has been the same as it is for our other grandchildren. We love spending time with Grace and her siblings and we all work toward a well-balanced environment for all the children. Grace fits right in. Being the middle child, Grace enjoys similar activities as her siblings and has learned a lot from them. They all seem very happy together. Grace is very active at the playground, and loves to entertain herself with puzzles and music. One of her favorite parts of the day is getting on the school bus. 

We all recognize that Grace needs more attention (for her well-being and safety) in certain situations, but this makes it extra delightful to see her accomplishments. We understand that Grace advances at her own pace. To see Grace continue to reach her potential is a joy. She has a wonderful disposition and that is heartwarming. She greets us with hugs and special kisses every time we see her.

Before Grace was born, we did not research Down syndrome but decided to wait and learn from Grace. Each child is different, and children with Down syndrome are no exception. 

We have learned so much in the last five years since Grace has entered our family.

We would tell other grandparents of children with Down syndrome to accept them as God’s gift. We encourage them to have patience and understanding of their individual pace of development as they would for other children. 

We are so proud to be Grace’s grandparents.

– Dan & Peggy Nevin