Sometimes Miracles Hide
A Pro-Life Story
Sometimes Miracles Hide” is a song by Bruce Carroll. Michelle and John White have put photos of their daughter, Katie, to the music of this wonderful song. This video will depict that children with Down syndrome and Autism have a right to life because their “Life is Worth Living”! Yes, you read that right. Katie has both Down syndrome and Autism.
In 1989 I chose life for my daughter, Katie. She was planned, I got pregnant, she was born . . . end of story. But not really. This is just the very beginning of a life fulfilled. Has it been easy? No, but I called it a new challenge in my life. Where there is need, grace abounds, as long as you turn to God for help. Without God my story would be entirely different, and I mean “in a bad way”. But with God, there was “a better way”. Daily prayer was a necessity. Not just once, but continuously!
Children with Down syndrome and Autism, and every person who has a disability, are entitled to have a "Life Worth Living.” With the birth of Kate, our family life was not over, but in fact, just beginning. These children are a blessing and not a burden. They are very "capable" to do great things. These children do, in fact, have many “abilities”. Of course some would argue that there are many degrees of these two conditions . . and yes, you would be correct. But in each case, regardless of degree of disability, there is something special that can bless both a family and a community. There is help for these families and each one should work with agencies who specialize in education, health care assistance, social services, etc. Also, let’s not discount the grace that pours in from God on a daily basis to help parents and other relatives to continue to live life with hope and peace.
Big Dreams, Real Impact
No one ever told Katie that she was disabled. Thank God! She is one of those persons who sees something she wants, works hard until she gets it, and then on to the next “new thing”. She mastered running fast by age three. She mastered reading by grade three. She mastered her cell phone, computer, and wii by age 10. She learned free style swimming and the back stroke by age 12 and came in first place at the swim meets. She can be found in her bed at night under the sheets with her tablet looking at Dancing with the Stars.
Kate has the dream to become a Journalist and so she is attending school at “Harvard”. We let her keep this dream. Below she is taking notes off of the computer.
They (Children with Down syndrome and Autism and every person who has a disability) are entitled to have a "Life Worth Living.” Our family life was not over with the birth of Kate, but in fact, just continuing on a new path, a new beginning. Or just press the “RESET” BUTTON. They are a blessing and not a burden. They are very "capable" to do great things. These children do, in fact, have many “abilities”.
Fast forward to 2026, now reaching 36, every effort we poured into her is reaping rewards. But isn’t this the story about every child raised in the family? It is work raising a child, yes, but it is so worth it. Here she is in the kitchen of Friendly’s Restaurant in Pottstown, PA where she has worked the lunch shift in the kitchen for more than 10 years. Who would have thought that she would be able to hold down a job for 10 years? Since I first published this story, Katie’s employment ended with the COVID pandemic when the restaurant was forced to shut down. Then, when the restaurant re-opened, it was sold. So all the employees who were left needed to find new employment. As for Katie, she announced, “I am retired now” even though I’m only 36.
Katie worked at Friendly’s Restaurant in Pottstown, PA for 10 years. She did dishes and pots & pans. She was one of their most reliable employees.
Since prenatal screening tests were introduced in Iceland in the early 2000s, the vast majority of women – close to 100 percent – who received a positive test for Down syndrome terminated their pregnancy. It is the opinion of this author that these children are made by God and for a very specific purpose. They should be given a chance to live because “life is worth living”.
They (Children with Down syndrome and Autism, and every person who has a disability) are entitled to have a "Life Worth Living.” Our family life was not over with the birth of Kate, but in fact, just continuing on a new path. They are a blessing and not a burden. They are very "capable" to do great things. These children do, in fact, many “abilities”.
“Kate & Dad” is an image I caught on camera with John tossing Kate into the air. It is one of the favorite prints that I offer for sale. The image is a black & White print in one size 8” x 10”. Size is suitable for framing in a standard frame. Product DOES NOT INCLUDE MAT OR FRAME. Purchase mat separately.
Psalm 139:13 - 14.You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know.
Psalm 139:14 I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know.
“Angel Adoration” print by artist Michelle White. Original is a charcoal drawing. Sizes are suitable for framing in standard frames. Product DOES NOT INCLUDE MAT OR FRAME. Purchase mat separately. Reasonably priced with free shipping to continental USA. Comes in three sizes.
Size 8” x 10”. $25
In a an article by Ruth Graham (https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/05/how-down-syndrome-is-redefining-the-abortion-debate.html.) Unfortunately these children are being aborted. In Denmark these children are almost "extinct". One mother of a 10-year-old with Down syndrome told a reporter that she worries her son’s community is “being wiped off the face of the Earth with abortion.” The stakes of this debate are clear: It’s a conversation not just about prenatal testing but about personhood, about whether Down syndrome should be considered a condition or a disease.
Celeste Blau and her husband, Patrick, play with Clementine at a park in Cleveland on May 25. Maddie McGarvey/Slate. In many parts of Europe, including the United Kingdom, the termination rate after a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis is now more than 90 percent. In Iceland, where testing is widespread, “we have basically eradicated, almost, Down syndrome from our society. In many parts of Europe, including the United Kingdom, the termination rate after a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis is now more than 90 percent. In Iceland, where testing is widespread, “we have basically eradicated, almost, Down syndrome from our society,” one geneticist told CBS last year.
In the United States, screening is not as widespread, but about three-quarters of women who do receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome terminate the pregnancy, according to a survey of recent studies published in 2012. Data suggest that the number of Down syndrome births in the U.S. would be about one-third times higher today if it weren’t for prenatal testing. Down syndrome diagnosis is now the natural and obvious thing to do. Introduction to this option is, after all, a primary purpose of prenatal testing. In several recent op-eds in the Washington Post, Ruth Marcus articulated the view of the “silenced majority” of women who would have aborted a fetus with Down syndrome if prenatal tests had come back positive: “That was not the child I wanted. That was not the choice I would have made,” she wrote. “You can call me selfish, or worse, but I am in good company. The evidence is clear that most women confronted with the same unhappy alternative would make the same decision.”
More Resources
National Down syndrome Society: https://ndss.org/about
Mayo Clinic Down syndrome: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/down-syndrome/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355983
Mayo Clinic Autism: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/autism-spectrum-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20352928
Autism Parenting Magazine: https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/freeissue/?h_campaign_id=614129381&bng_id=1141294865100548&h_ad_id=71331093675910&msclkid=3794ea067ab61cf588ec8086baeb2f98
MYTH: People with Down syndrome cannot be active members of their community.
TRUTH: People with Down syndrome are active participants in educational, social and recreational activities. They are included in the typical education system and take part in sports, music, art programs and any other activities in the community. People with Down syndrome are valued members of their families and communities, and make meaningful contributions to society.
NDSS National Down Syndrome Society: https://ndss.org/myths-truths#myth-most-children-with-down-syndrome-are-born-to-older-parents