Emily Mounce Merrick Hey everyone! I am new to this group. My daughter with DS was born in 2009. She was my 3rd child. We had a prenatal diagnosis of DS and AVSD. She also had some other more minor issues. Sadly, my baby girl passed away after her open-heart surgery at the University of Kentucky. She was just under 4.5 mos old. As you might imagine, we have been through a lot. Since her passing, I have had two more children. One of them was born with a heart defect as well, though it was not a major one and never required surgery. I have been very active in advocating for babies and children with DS and heart defects for years now. As a way of celebrating what would have been my daughters 5th birthday, honoring her life and all that she taught so many, and helping others...I have started the Gabrielle Rae Merrick Memorial Down Syndrome Adoption Grant FundThis is a grant that will be given to a family waiting to adopt a baby with DS. I am also preparing to launch a website that will serve as a resource for those pursuing DS adoption as well as those who have a prenatal diagnosis. My Gabbys story is going to be in several publications within our state (and hopefully elsewhere soon!), and I hope and pray the publicity will help this fund to grow. I am determined to let God use me and Gabbys story to help others. Its the least I can do for having the amazing privilege of holding her in my arms for 4 months and being her mother forever.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 03:07:28 +0000