Alaska governor balances newborn's needs (with Down Syndrome), official duties

Thanks, Nancy, for sending this article! I have a few more 'heroes' on my list now!

Many of my favorite patients over the years in both medical and dental world have Down's. I have learned only love (unconditional) from them!

God bless!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: nancyvalko
Date: Sun, May 4, 2008 at 9:51 PM

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080503/ap_on_re_us/alaska_governor_baby;_ylt=AkCULYnAhDAMuwyzoIYE6OlvzwcF

Alaska governor balances newborn's needs, official duties

By STEVE QUINN, Associated Press Writer

The results of Gov. Sarah Palin's prenatal testing were in, and the
doctor's tone was ominous: "You need to come to the office so we can
talk about it."

Palin, known for a resolve that quickly launched her from suburban
hockey mom to a player on the national political stage, said, "No, go
ahead and tell me over the phone."

The physician replied, "Down syndrome," stunning the Republican
governor, who had just completed what many political analysts called a
startling first year in office.

She had arrived at the Capitol on an ethics reform platform after
defeating the incumbent Republican in the primary and a former two-
term Democratic governor in the general election. Her growing
reputation as a maverick for bucking her party's establishment and
Alaska's powerful oil industry quickly gained her a national reputation.

Now she is trying to balance caring for her special-needs child and
running a state.

The doctor's announcement in December, when Palin was four months
pregnant, presented her with a possible life- and career-changing
development.

"I've never had problems with my other pregnancies, so I was shocked,"
said Palin, a mother of four other children.

"It took a while to open up the book that the doctor gave me about
children with Down syndrome, and a while to log on to the Web site and
start reading facts about the situation."

The 44-year-old governor waited a few days before telling her husband,
Todd, who was out of town, so she could understand what was ahead for
them.

Once her husband got the news, he told her: "We shouldn't be asking,
'Why us?' We should be saying, 'Well, why not us?'"

There was never any doubt the Palins would have the child, and on
April 18 she gave birth to Trig Paxon Van Palin.

"We've both been very vocal about being pro-life," Palin said. "We
understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential."

Down syndrome is caused by the presence of an extra chromosome in the
fetus' cells. It's a genetic abnormality that impedes physical,
intellectual and language development.

The mother's age is a large factor in the chances of having a Down
child. Once a woman turns 40, the chances of having a Down child is 1
out of 100, according to the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute
of Child Health and Human Development.

During her first year in office, Palin distanced herself from the old
guard, powerful Republicans in the state GOP, even calling on tight-
lipped veteran U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens to explain to Alaskans why
federal authorities were investigating him.

She asked Alaska's congressional delegation to be more selective in
seeking earmarks after what came to be known as the "Bridge to
Nowhere" turned into a national symbol of piggish pork-barrel spending.

She stood up to the powerful oil industry, and with bipartisan support
in the statehouse she won a tax increase on oil companies' profits.

She also found time to pose for the fashion magazine Vogue while she
was pregnant, and she has been mentioned as a potential running mate
for presidential candidate John McCain.

Three days after giving birth, Palin returned to work in her Anchorage
office, accompanied by Trig and her husband.

This was not a mother's typical visit to the office to show off the
new baby; instead, she was serving notice that a child of special
needs would not hinder her professional commitments.

"It's a sign of the times to be able to do this," she said. "I can
think of so many male candidates who watched families grow while they
were in office.

"There is no reason to believe a woman can't do it with a growing
family. My baby will not be at all or in any sense neglected."

Neither, Palin said, will the state, as she prepares to lead
deliberations for a multibillion-dollar natural gas pipeline. She
calls it the economic future of the state, a means of getting North
Slope natural gas to consumers throughout North America.

"I will not shirk my duties," she said.

Other politicians have pressed forward with their careers despite
jarring personal news.

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards continued with his
campaign despite the return of his wife Elizabeth's breast cancer,
though he eventually dropped out.

Another elected official who has a child with Down syndrome said that
Palin will probably have detractors, but that it shouldn't change
ambitions for the mother or child.

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Washington state Republican, has
just celebrated the first birthday of her son Cole, her first child,
who was born with Down syndrome. She is busy campaigning for a third
term, and Cole often travels with her between Washington, D.C., and
the Pacific Northwest.

"Cole opened my eyes to the pain and trouble a lot of families
endure," Rodgers said. "He's allowed me to see people and circumstance
more deeply, and the generosity of people.

"It's in human nature to focus on the negative, on what the person
can't do. In our mind, we are focused on what he can do, what he will
be able to do and do very well."

It's not unlike how Palin sees her child.

"I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection," Palin said.
"Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what
is normal and what is perfect?"

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