Sadly, today my site re-published an article about Down Syndrome. It had some false information in it and the article was taken down immediately. This is only the second time I ever took down an article, but I realize it was a mistake to put it up in the first place.
Although I did not write the article, or the person who republished it on my site, I was very upset it went live on my site, and took full responsibility for it. Due to the errors in the article, I received many emails from a wonderful community of families, explaining to me some ‘real’ facts about Down Syndrome.
I received about 84 emails in total, and I responded back to each and every one of them. But, I was so moved by the majority of emails. I started having conversations via email with many of these families. There stories are so moving and full of love for their children. Some sent me pictures, some shared stories that were just so wonderful.
Many shared a web site called Noah’s Dad with me, which had an article about the causes of Down Syndrome. The article explains how there are no causes! The article stated, “Nothing you ate, didn’t eat, got exposed to, vitamin you forget to take or activity you did that caused your baby to be born with Down syndrome. If that thought has ever crossed your mind you can take a deep breath, and let go of any guilt or anger you may be feeling, because Down syndrome isn’t your fault.’
To me, this article was really educational. You see, the article re-published earlier stated differently. So, I just wanted to apologize to the many new friends I made today due to an article that should not have been on my site. You are a wonderful community. I have been very moved by your words and stories, and I wish you nothing but the best life has to offer. I am also thankful to your approach with your words, as I know you could have yelled at me in your emails (there were a couple of these), but instead, you took an approach which I deeply respected – – which really helped me realize I should take down the original article ASAP.
My goal for my web site blog has always been to be helpful to others, but I believe I failed earlier with my re-post. I hope those who were upset are forgiving, and know that the article was not meant to cause outrage, anger, or even controversy. That would not be my style. I encourage you all to visit the Noah’s Dad web site link above.