Down’s Syndrome

By Amy Harmon

DETROIT, MI Sarah Itoh, a self-described “almost-eleven-and-a- half,”
betrayed no trace of nervousness as she told a roomful of genetic
counselors and obstetricians about herself one recent afternoon.

She likes to read, she said. Math used to be hard, but it is getting
easier. She plays clarinet in her school band. She is a junior girl
scout and an aunt, and she likes to organize so her room is very clean.
Last year, she won three medals in the Special Olympics.

“I am so lucky I get to do so many things,” she concluded. “I just want
you to know, even though I have Down syndrome, it is O.K.”

Sarah’s appearance at Henry Ford Hospital here is part of an unusual
campaign being undertaken by parents of children with Down syndrome who
worry about their future in the face of broader prenatal testing that
could sharply reduce the number of those born with the genetic
condition.

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Source: New York Times