TEXAS TOWNSHIP, Mich. — March 21 is marked on the calendar as “World Down Syndrome Day,” a day where differences are celebrated.
A lot of times, it means people wear mismatched socks.
But in the Cook family, every day is Down Syndrome Day.
FOX 17 caught up with the Cooks while they made dinner.
Mom, Amy, and Logan, age 10, are on meatball duty. They dice green onions together, with Amy guiding Logan through using a knife.
Dad, Dan, and daughter, 7-year-old Natalie, are making sauce. Natalie is stirring in the sriracha.
Natalie is the reason FOX 17 is in the Cooks’ kitchen.
She has Down Syndrome, which came as a surprise to the Cooks.
“It just..a lot of questions. We didn’t understand it. We didn’t know why. We had the testing, we had no idea,” Amy Cook said.
They did pre-screening when Amy was pregnant. But it didn’t show any risk of Down Syndrome. It’s not entirely uncommon, says Linda Rossetti with Corewell Health.
“Even though the prenatal screening has pretty good sensitivity and specificity, it is still considered screening only. So when the risks are reported out, there’s always something called a residual risk. So something can be reported out as low risk, but it doesn’t mean it’s zero,” Corewell Health Medical Geneticist Linda Rossetti said.
Their daughter, Natalie has added to their life in every way. Dan Cook said though, when they first got the news seven years ago, he was scared. He assumed the worst. And then the family found a world of support.
Their family turned out to be much more normal than he imagined.
“She is sassy. She is really sweet and kind. She’s like a sour patch kid. But she comes by it super honestly, she’s just like me,” Amy Cook said.
Natalie does gymnastics, and she loves swimming. She can’t wait to hit the water this summer.
Brother, Logan, is more of a quiet type. But he looks through the yearbook patiently with Natalie, who loves seeing her picture.
For the Cooks, community support when they found out their daughter was born different—meant everything. Their Pastor came over, and connected them with another family in their church that had a son with Down syndrome. They connected with the West Michigan Down Syndrome Association.
“That was a big thing. Was just not feeling alone,” Amy Cook said.
“I think the biggest part of being a member of the disability community is connection. And without that connection of like minded individuals, and parents and families who really understand and have that shared empathy, you feel a little lost,” Sheena Vogel, Vice President of the Board for the West Michigan Down Syndrome Association said.
The Cooks concluding one thing: connection is key. For every family, and those that look a little different.
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