Tell us a little about yourself...
I’m Jess Roberts, the mum behind the face of Learning From Luke.
I have been married to my husband Jon for just over 5 years and we have three
children, our first born Derek the Cat, Luke who is 3 and was born with Down
Syndrome, and Holly who is 18 months old.
Our blog was started as a means of dealing with a myriad of emotions after our
unborn son was diagnosed with Down Syndrome, but it has grown to include an
Instagram account and a shop, and it’s primary goal is to create awareness, educate
and shout about the worth of people born with Down Syndrome.
When did you become a mom, who made you a mom, and a little about your journey of motherhood?
I became a human mom for the first time just over three years ago when I gave birth
to our darling little blue-eyed boy Luke.
When I was 20 weeks pregnant, we found out that our first born would be born with an extra copy of his 21st chromosome. The
diagnosis completely rocked our world, and in hindsight I now that this earth
moving moment was the very best thing that had ever happened to us. Luke has blown every expectation that we had conjured up in our minds (about what parenting a child born with Down Syndrome would look like) out of the water.
Holly, our colic princess, was born 18 months ago and she is without doubt one of the strongest girls I know.
Although it can be testing at times; I absolutely adore this about her. She knows already that she is going to have to be tough in life and advocate for her brother. I have no doubt that she will be Luke’s biggest fan, harshest critic and push him to be the very best version of himself.
The small age gap between our children and the fact that Luke is developmentally
delayed by 13 months, has meant that we have in essence been parenting twins. We
have felt completely overwhelmed, completely exhausted and yet completely in awe
and full of love for these two little humans that we have brought into the world.
How has motherhood changed you?
Gosh, motherhood, the hardest and yet most rewarding journey I have ever embarked upon. Motherhood has taught me patience. It has taught me selflessness, it has taught me resilience and it has taught me kindness.
Having a child born with special needs has made me more gentle and yet more
determined and passionate than I could ever have imagined. I would hope that I am a stronger and more capable mother as a result.
Motherhood has taught me that seeming imperfection could be more perfect than we
could ever imagined, and that it is in those seemingly imperfect moments... true
beauty can emerge.
Why is creating awareness of Down syndrome so important to you?
When I look at Luke, my heart literally breaks to imagine him not being accepted for
who he is. There is SO much misconception around Down Syndrome. When you receive a diagnosis of Down Syndrome, you are usually only told about the scientific, scary and often negative aspects of it.
Our goal is to show the good and the bad, to shatter stereotypes, to educate and to spread love and kindness in the process. A fire has been lit inside of me, and I want to know that I leave this world having made it a kinder and more tolerant place for both of my children.
What is the single most important thing you would like to impart on people about Down Syndrome?
That Down Syndrome isn’t scary.
We have been privileged enough to witness pure and unblemished joy and light as a
direct result of Luke’s diagnosis. Life is so beautiful with Luke in it, more beautiful
than we could ever have imagined.
That Luke is not Down Syndrome. Luke is Luke, and he merely happens to have an
additional chromosome.
Follow Jess' journey as she helps others going through a similar experience - and/or assists others in understanding that “normal” is merely a frame of mind, and that lessons come from the most unexpected of places.
You can see more of Jess, her incredible Luke, and the rest of her family and shop (which she hopes to build and leave to Luke one day) at @learningfromluke & @learningfromluke_shop on Instagram, as well as www.learningfromluke.org.
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