Any high school senior is overjoyed when he or she sees the word, “Congratulations” at the top of a letter from the university to which they applied. But for Rion Holcombe, reading the word meant a little bit more.
"We're awfully excited for him," Danny Holcombe told TODAY.com, though he added as parents, he and his wife Susan are "not real excited about him leaving home." But they're especially thrilled because they never expected their son would have this kind of opportunity. "When he was born, nothing like this was a possibility," Danny said.
That’s because Holcombe, 20, is diagnosed with Down Syndrome. At first, even living a normal everyday life perhaps seemed out of reach. Now, despite living with the syndrome, Holcombe has proven he can be the “big man on campus” just like any other ambitious young learner.
After Holcombe realized his dream had come true, his mom exclaimed, “You’re gonna be a college student next year!” This incredible moment demonstrates that every life is precious. Anyone, no matter what obstacles they face, can achieve their goals if they are as determined as this brave young man.
Stories like this make the following statistic hard to stomach. A horrifying 90 percent of babies with Down syndrome are aborted.
So many empty desks.
But thankfully we have pro-life warriors like Sarah Palin, who not only gave life to her beautiful son Trig, who has Down syndrome, but is an outspoken activist on behalf of other mothers who have children with disabilities.
Sarah Palin knows the true reason for the season. It’s Trig and the many other children who face similar challenges that truly capture what is so special about this time of year – celebrating the miraculous birth of a babe in a manger, who overcame the world’s greatest challenge and brought good tidings and the greatest of all joys.
A Down syndrome diagnosis should not be a death sentence. If it was, how else could we experience amazing moments like these?
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