18 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | JANUARY 2020 Carey Peña | Contributing Writer Speaking up for the Down Syndrome community CAREY’S CORNER {carey peña reports} I HAVE A VOICE “It was kind of sad. Nobody celebrated her birth. For me, as a first-time mom, it was hard. I felt very isolated.” When Jennifer Gage gave birth to her first child, Kaitlyn, it wasn’t a “typical” new-mom experience. Kaitlyn was diagnosed with Down syndrome, and at the time, 23 years ago, there was far less knowledge, acceptance and awareness. For Jennifer Gage, the world was spinning. That is until she found her voice. “I wanted to give Kaitlyn a typical experience,” Gage told me. So she set off as a determined young mother to do just that. Gage would soon find out about a national organization called GiGi’s Playhouse. The founder, Chicago resident Nancy Gianni, calls herself the “Chief Belief Officer.” She’s been named a CNN Hero and has been featured on national television, including “The Today Show.” On the GiGi’s Playhouse website, Gianni wrote: “When my daughter GiGi was born, I thought my family’s life would change forever. About an hour after she was born, the doctors suspected she had Down syndrome. Panic was welling up inside me, but I was afraid for anyone to see it. As soon as my husband and I made eye contact, I said, ‘If anyone can handle this, we can.’” Both Gianni and Gage talk about the pain they felt when people came to visit after their babies were born. “There were hugs of sympathy, not congratulations,” Gianni said. “They would tiptoe toward the bassinet and seem afraid to look inside to see what she would look like.”

JANUARY 2020 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 19 The positive environment at GiGi’s Phoenix empowers those with Down syndrome to reach their highest potential. Jennifer Gage ( second from left ) says GiGi’s Playhouse has given her family a platform to make the world a better place for her daughter Kaitlyn, who has Down syndrome. GiGi’s offers a holistic approach, not just helping the person with Down syndrome, but their parents, siblings and extended family.