Jalynn Reeter English 101 Narration Essay Final Draft September 6, 2016 A Blessing Named Jacob My family and I are in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Step Up For Down Syndrome walk, and we all come out of our tents onto the sidewalk, and line up to start walking. I notice all of the smiling faces and how there are hundreds of people behind me. The distance is a short walk around the Royals and Chiefs stadiums, yet so many people show up all for one great cause. When my cousin Jacob was born, my family had no idea what God had planned for us, but looking back now, my family and I are very thankful for this hidden little blessing. On September 16, 2013, my family and I thought it was just going to be a normal day but when one little boy came into our lives, we knew the days ahead would never be the same. Jacob Edwin Heil, my cousin, was the little boy born that day. As soon as he was born, he was taken away to the nursery to have some test taken as all babies do. The nurse came with a concerning look on her face, and no Jacob in her arms. We were all a little confused. My aunt asked what was wrong and without hesitation the nurse said, “Your baby has Down’s Syndrome, and you won’t be able to see him until we finish tests, which will be most likely tomorrow.” I’ll never forget the look of fright on my aunt's face in that very moment. I immediately started Googling any information I could on Down’s Syndrome, not knowing much about it. I read that kids with Down’s have their big toe a little further apart from the rest than the average person. I also saw that when many Down’s kids become adults, they could get jobs just like the rest of the world. The way they learn can have defensiantsies and may take a little more time, but overall kids with Down’s Syndrome aren’t much different than kids without. Just like kids without Down’s Syndrome, Jacob and other kids with Down’s are always happy and always smiling; thus, one of my favorite times of each year to get to see those smiles is when we go to the Kansas City Chiefs Stadium and walk for Down’s Syndrome. My whole family gets donations from people we are close to and then we donate that money to the walk. Hundreds of people from across multiple states come to the walk just to support Down’s Syndrome, which I think is awesome. Some people I even see from my hometown Chillicothe, whom I would not have thought would be involved in a walk such as this. At the walk I see so many kids that are just like Jacob. Being there and seeing all the Down’s kids ranging from babies to adults always leaves me in awe. The walk is a really fulfilling event to experience every October. When we first heard that Jacob had Down’s Syndrome, we didn’t know how his life was going to go. My family had heard many stories of how great people with Down’s get along in life. What if Jacob wasn’t one of those kids? There have been many struggles in the Heil family since Jacob was born. After the surprise of finding out Jacob had Down’s Syndrome, our family was hit with another shock. Jacob’s three year old big brother was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. My grandparents have had to watch Jacob for multiple weeks at a time so his brother could receive his cancer treatments in Texas. Through all the surprises Jacob has still been able to prosper. Jacob, who just turned three, started preschool this year and when they tested the kids to see how well they do with certain tasks, he was the best in his class. We also go on our family vacation every year and while we are there we ride horses. Starting from when he was two he began to like riding. He likes riding so much for his third birthday he is going to have a horse riding birthday at our grandpa’s house. Jacob is the reason I considered the education field as one of my main options for a career. When Jacob was two he could not go down the stairs without falling. Everytime he would get at the edge of the stairs you could see the determination in his face. Once while playing with him at his house I thought, I am going to teach him how to go down the stairs. First, I did it myself and showed him to go down on his stomach instead of just tumbling down the stairs. Then, I rolled him over on his stomach and gave him a little push to show him he could do it. We walked up the stairs together and repeated those motions over and over until he finally figured it out. I didn’t show his mom what we learned at the time because I wanted him to surprise her. One day I got a call from my aunt. She said that she couldn’t believe I taught him to go down the stairs. In that moment I thought about becoming a special education teacher. I still haven’t decided what I am going to do in the future, but if it wasn’t for Jacob I would have never had the idea to become a special education teacher. Every year I cannot wait for the October walk for Down’s Syndrome. My whole family and I are thankful for the little boy with Down’s that came into our lives. My life will never be the same and I am excited to see the future that God holds for Jacob Edwin Heil, our little blessing.