Louise Mouncey - Chair

 

Hi,

 

I have three children, Jessica, Benjamin and Oliver. Benjamin has Down's Syndrome. We did not have any screening during pregnancy and therefore his diagnosis was a huge shock to us. Unfortunately we had a very outdated understanding of the condition and therefore we worried about Benjamin’s future. We are now four years into the rollercoaster journey and I know that I did not need to worry as much as I did. He has had a few health hiccups along the way however he is a very determined young boy who achieves any targets given to him. He started mainstream primary school in September 2020 and he loves attending and has made some lovely friendships. I

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When Benjamin was born I felt I was thrown onto a rollercoaster and I did not know where to go for support and advice. I was not confident in reaching out to people I did not know. This was my drive into setting up Shine21. Being at the end of the phone for when a parent is ready to reach out and need some support or someone to talk to who is on a similar rollercoaster.

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