Today I would like to “Pay it Forward” to my friend, Rebekah, who is a heroine to me. She has 9 children and her last has Trisomy 18 and was not expected to live long. I’ve visited her at Primary Children’s Medical Center during long hospital stays and brought her and Aaron home from one, so in a tiny way, I’ve been involved in his life. We’ve prayed for him and for their family over the last year and I’ve worried about her getting enough sleep and taking care of herself so she can do her mom job. Through it all, she has been a great mom to her other children and become a fount of knowledge about Aaron and his condition. She has helped other Trisomy parents with her encouragement and enthusiasm. She wrote about his upcoming birthday on her blog, and last night Scott and I were able to join the celebration. It was wonderful to see family, friends, and caregivers gather to celebrate this huge milestone. There was even a Deseret News reporter on hand and they appear in the paper today. It started raining during the evening and at the appointed time, William stood up to bring us together and say a few words. People were huddled under canopies and umbrellas but just as he started to thank everyone, the rain stopped and a ray of sun shot through to light him up. He read a poem and we released balloons in honor of Aaron’s birthday and also all his little friends who didn’t make it to one year. It was very touching. Congratulations, Aaron!
