Cooperating with an Act of God: The Historic #TurnpikeMass

Courtesy of Roamin' Catholics.

As the mother of a young lady of 13 who has Down syndrome, I am accustomed to seeing how God's ways are far above our ways. Many times we have stood in awe at what Our Lord accomplishes in our life with our daughter Christina in the privacy of our Domestic Church. That is why I share our little miracles with you, dear reader, to inspire you.

 But sometimes God allows an act of faith to go public. 

That is the case of the now famous Turnpike Mass widely reported, first on social media, then picked up by major news outlets like CNN. Hundreds if not thousands of March for Life participants, most of them youth, were stuck on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the rural and rugged Allegheny Mountains region. They did not move for nearly 24 hours and for some, food was growing scarce and help seemed far away. What did these on-fire Catholic Millenials do? They built an altar out of snow and ice and asked their chaplain, Fr Patrick Behm,  to celebrate Holy Mass. 

Fr Behm tried to deflect attention from himself and told the website Church Pop.

 “I was the principal celebrant of the liturgy,” he said, “but credit for the idea, and credit for building the altar, and credit for going around to the various buses inviting people to join them belongs completely to the pilgrims from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, particularly Mr. Bill Dill, their youth minister.”
It was those students from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who built the snow altar: “Those Minnesotans apparently know how to build stuff out of snow!”
The now famous Mass was a powerful spiritual experience for Fr. Behm and everyone else involved.
“It left me with many impressions, but among them was the fact that Jesus enters into the storm. Jesus comes to us, in the storms of our life, and enters in to be with us. He desires to be with His people, and if we respond to this invitation to let Him in, then the message is profound hope and joy.”

The story of the Mass went viral on Facebook then Twitter, and soon local news outlets were reporting not only about the stranded students but that they were coming from the March for Life and that they were praying with exuberance. So,  a secular media which had largely ignored the enormous annual March for Life which took place despite DC being in a state of emergency and blizzard conditions starting before the end of the March, began to cover the #TurnpikeMass, and tangentially,  the #MarchforLife. God's mysterious ways indeed!  It is told that a bus driver stranded with the young people who has participated in an abortion received forgiveness and healing.

Way to cooperate with the Lord of the Universerse, through what is often termed, "an act of God", a blizzard. The Holy Spirit truly acted in the hearts of his youthful worshipers, and made a big impact on the world! Thousands were witness to a moving act of faith in the snowbound mountains of Pennsylvania. Thousands call this a historic event. When we allow God to work in the midst of a crisis,  history is made and hearts are changed for eternity. This sentiment is echoed in a letter from FUS President Fr. Sean Sheridan TOR.

Most of all, however, I am grateful to our Lord Jesus Christ for the good that came out of our situation—the increased media attention brought to the March for Life, the bus driver with another group of marchers who was healed of a past abortion, the witness of the outdoor Masses celebrated by two parishes—and for the good that we will only see in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead, or only when we enter into our heavenly reward.

Watch this moving video from Holy Spirit Church as the crowd sings Matt Maher's "Lord, How I Need You!"
The lyrics are;

Lord, I come, I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
Without You I fall apart
You're the One that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
On a personal note
My daughter Bella was one of the 400 students of Franciscan University of Steubenville who were traveling back from the March for Life. These buses  were stuck a few miles down the Turnpike were not as fortunate as the pilgrims from Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin,  and North Dakota,  as their chaplains did not have hosts for Mass. But that did not stop them from praying!! They built and altar anyway and prayed the Rosary Divine Mercy Chaplet, and the Liturgy of the Hours. Attitudes on the bus, according to my 18 year old daughter Bella, were mostly positive. The students shared the snacks they brought and kept each other from despairing.
Parents on the FUS Facebook group shared messages of encouragement,  and Mariely M de G a parent who lives in Steubenville, arranged for subway sandwiches to be delivered to the group. The National Guard brought in pizza, and military meals, and dug them out. The students were very grateful for the assistance they provided and to return home at 7:00 AM Sunday morning after nearly 40 hours on the road (normally a 6 hour trip). They had a special Travelers' Mass offered for them in Christ the King Chapel. Here is a local news story about their safe return from the ordeal.

Renee of New Catholic Generation.com made a video about the entire phenomenon and its impact.

Here are some more great stories about the Turnpike Mass.
Patti Armstrong.com
Archdiocese of Omaha
Omaha.com
JournalStar.com
KTSP Minnesota
The Christian Post
LifeSiteNews
CatholicNewsAgency
TheCatholicSpirit
DeaconGregKandra on his Aleteia Blog
Not to mention Teresa Tomeo and Sheila Liaugminas of Relevant Radio
The New York Times

He couldn’t claim credit for the idea of having Mass: “I was the principal celebrant of the liturgy,” he said, “but credit for the idea, and credit for building the altar, and credit for going around to the various buses inviting people to join them belongs completely to the pilgrims from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, particularly Mr. Bill Dill, their youth minister.”
It was those students from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who built the snow altar: “Those Minnesotans apparently know how to build stuff out of snow!”
The now famous Mass was a powerful spiritual experience for Fr. Behm and everyone else involved.
“It left me with many impressions, but among them was the fact that Jesus enters into the storm. Jesus comes to us, in the storms of our life, and enters in to be with us. He desires to be with His people, and if we respond to this invitation to let Him in, then the message is profound hope and joy.
- See more at: http://aleteia.org/blogs/deacon-greg-kandra/the-story-behind-the-turnpike-mass-of-snowmageddon-from-the-priest-who-led-it/#sthash.I1ozbkiE.wlkdchCL.dpuf

He couldn’t claim credit for the idea of having Mass: “I was the principal celebrant of the liturgy,” he said, “but credit for the idea, and credit for building the altar, and credit for going around to the various buses inviting people to join them belongs completely to the pilgrims from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, particularly Mr. Bill Dill, their youth minister.”
It was those students from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who built the snow altar: “Those Minnesotans apparently know how to build stuff out of snow!”
The now famous Mass was a powerful spiritual experience for Fr. Behm and everyone else involved.
“It left me with many impressions, but among them was the fact that Jesus enters into the storm. Jesus comes to us, in the storms of our life, and enters in to be with us. He desires to be with His people, and if we respond to this invitation to let Him in, then the message is profound hope and joy.
- See more at: http://aleteia.org/blogs/deacon-greg-kandra/the-story-behind-the-turnpike-mass-of-snowmageddon-from-the-priest-who-led-it/#sthash.I1ozbkiE.wlkdchCL.dpuf

He couldn’t claim credit for the idea of having Mass: “I was the principal celebrant of the liturgy,” he said, “but credit for the idea, and credit for building the altar, and credit for going around to the various buses inviting people to join them belongs completely to the pilgrims from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, particularly Mr. Bill Dill, their youth minister.”
It was those students from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who built the snow altar: “Those Minnesotans apparently know how to build stuff out of snow!”
The now famous Mass was a powerful spiritual experience for Fr. Behm and everyone else involved.
“It left me with many impressions, but among them was the fact that Jesus enters into the storm. Jesus comes to us, in the storms of our life, and enters in to be with us. He desires to be with His people, and if we respond to this invitation to let Him in, then the message is profound hope and joy.
- See more at: http://aleteia.org/blogs/deacon-greg-kandra/the-story-behind-the-turnpike-mass-of-snowmageddon-from-the-priest-who-led-it/#sthash.I1ozbkiE.wlkdchCL.dpuf

He couldn’t claim credit for the idea of having Mass: “I was the principal celebrant of the liturgy,” he said, “but credit for the idea, and credit for building the altar, and credit for going around to the various buses inviting people to join them belongs completely to the pilgrims from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, particularly Mr. Bill Dill, their youth minister.”
It was those students from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis who built the snow altar: “Those Minnesotans apparently know how to build stuff out of snow!”
The now famous Mass was a powerful spiritual experience for Fr. Behm and everyone else involved.
“It left me with many impressions, but among them was the fact that Jesus enters into the storm. Jesus comes to us, in the storms of our life, and enters in to be with us. He desires to be with His people, and if we respond to this invitation to let Him in, then the message is profound hope and joy.
- See more at: http://aleteia.org/blogs/deacon-greg-kandra/the-story-behind-the-turnpike-mass-of-snowmageddon-from-the-priest-who-led-it/#sthash.I1ozbkiE.wlkdchCL.dpuf

The Coming Battle: We will reclaim marriage

Half a million attend the March for Life  each year.

If you are like me, you are in mourning. Not merely for a battle lost, but for the thousands of misguided souls who may be lost due to the Supreme Court's misguided attempts at fairness.

The legalization of same sex marriage is not a sudden event, however, judging by the reactions on both sides, it is certainly a seismic cultural shift, akin to Roe v Wade or the Plessy v Ferguson decision (legalized segregation).  But it should not come as a shock to observant people of faith.  Society has been sliding downwards into the abyss for five decades, and the shudder you felt at the decision is society's morality hitting bottom. Or so we hope.

The legal recognition of homosexual marriage is the fruit of a degradation of marriage which began in the 1960's when the contraceptive pill drove a sword into the heart of marriage. Codified in Griswold v Connecticut, which legalized contraception use in marriage (yes, it was once unthinkable and banned by all major religious groups) the pill slowly sucked the life out of traditional marriage. Rather than assuming that children were at the heart of marriage, they are an option for couples pursuing careers, travel and the home of their dreams. My next door neighbors on Long Island told me that they were getting a dog instead of a second child, to enable the husband to buy the boat of his dreams. The grandparents actually threw a baby shower for the puppy! Their lonely little guy used to gaze through the picket fence at my two girls playing in our yard. His father put up a six foot stockade  fence to stop him. When I sold purebred Labrador Retrievers, I quickly understood that I was cooperating in this childless culture. Many young couples would come to buy a dog to "practic being parents" and hold off the urge to procreate. I could see the seething resentment in the women's eyes. I stopped breeding dogs and had another baby.

Procreation hgas been cut out of the very essence of marriage, and what remained of marriage's God-given meaning and purpose was left to wither in public opinion until it became a loose association of two adults in love. Add five decades of the promiscuity of the sexual revolution, aided by no-fault divorce, and we arrive at a society with a 40% illegitimacy rate, where millions of confused, suffering children search amid the emotional ruins of the once-strong family structure for the love of a father and mother. I taught in an inner city high school while I was engaged to be married. Not one of my students had ever met a person in their social circles who was married. We heterosexuals seem to have no use for marriage, other than some nostalgic image on a Hallmark card. Marriage was up for grabs.

Times change, so why not marriage?

If  companionship and not babies was the sole aim of marriage, and babies could be made in a laboratory (via IVF and surrogacy) by any one with the money to do so, what made marriage so unique that it could only be shared by one man and one woman?

The question became; 
 Why not grant homosexuals the right to enjoy such companionship and economic security? 
We allowed the same sex marriage lobby to frame the argument in  terms of rights for adults, forsaking the needs of children. We wanted to be seen as fair, loving, tolerant people.That is how public opinion went from 80% opposed to same sex marriage to 50% in favor in a few short years. The institution of marriage was on shaky ground indeed.

So when the question is asked "who is responsible for the Supreme Court's approval of same sex marriage?" the only honest answer is; I am. I did not fight hard enough against contraception, no fault divorce and for a traditional understanding of marriage. I did not feel badly enough for the children who suffer from the lack of traditional family structure to be their advocate even when study after study confirmed this. I did not fast and pray enough for God to change the hearts of all Americans who stood idly by, consumed with their entertainment devices,  and allowed the family go on life support. It was too lonely a battle to defend traditional marriage amid the disdain and mockery of my family and associates. Hollywood, academia, many churches and politicians had given way, so I did as well. I was censored on Facebook for a few days for posting an article on same sex marriage so I stopped posting on it. There were other battles to be fought, I thought. I was wrong. Nothing is more important than retaining our right to not only worship freely but to live out our faith in the public square.
I attended a lecture. by a Little Sister of the Poor on the history of religious freedom in America. The right to worship as Catholics was not ensured in the Colonies, but thanks to fair minded James Madison the father of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, we have it in our most fundamental document. But then the majority in the Obergefell v. Hodges decision found a right to homosexual marrige in the Fourteenth Amendment which did not exist. So much for the Constitutional protections!

But here's the good news. The battle is far from lost. Neither Roe v Wade or Plessy v Ferguson settled the matters they proposed to decide.  They created movements which caused disruption in society until the wrongs they caused were rectified (the abortion industry is losing steam at this time). It took commitment, courage and faith to overcome the degradation of segregation. It will take perhaps even more effort to help homosexuals find love and healing within the arms of God and to restore the true meaning and beauty of God's plan for marriage for heterosexuals who lost faith in it.
And thanks to many public declarations where Christians of all denominations and races have expressed solidarity with traditional marriage, we will find new friends at our side as we work to rebuild what has been torn down.

Good people of faith forged many alliances on the freedom rides, on the sidewalks of abortion mills and in the streets of our nation's capital. We expect to be joined by fellow believers who did not believe us when we warned that the family was in trouble, as our freedom of conscience is drastically eroded. It will take sacrifice and pain, real pain. Will it take the arrest of our local clergyman for refusing to perform a same sex wedding to wake us up? Perhaps.

But the awakening is coming. The darkness of our culture of relativism has become sufficiently dark for the light of Christ to stand in stark relief.
As Blessed Archbishop Oscar Romero, a  martyr for the truth in El Salvador said,

"The Church must suffer for speaking the truth. For pointing out sin, for uprooting sin. No one wants to have a sore spot touched, and  therefore a society with so many sores twitches when someone has the courage to touch it and say, 'You have to treat that. You have to get rid of that. Believe in Christ. Be converted."
Please join me in praying, fasting, and bearing joyful witness to the love of Christ expressed in your marriage. We will join the battle this time. 

My post is up on the March for Life blog

Here is the link

Letter from a Special Mother to the New Jersey Legislature on the Physician Assisted Suicide Bill

Thirteen years ago as the Twin Towers crumbled to the ground, I wept, but I did not despair. 

I had hope, for the future in those difficult times for I was carrying my third daughter.

 Christina was born in March of 2002 and we were thrilled. The fact that she was born with an extra 21st chromosome was not nearly as discouraging as losing thousands of Americans on 9/11. Life was a sign of hope, no matter how the person differs from our definition of 'normal.'

The second saddest day in my life was the day I discovered that not everyone welcomed my daughter into life. Two nurses in the hospital expressed regret that she was born and one offered me phone numbers to have her face "fixed" by a plastic surgeon. I was heartbroken by such cruelty from those whose lives are dedicated to alleviating suffering and saving lives. They made a value judgement that Christina's life was not worth living, and they assumed that I would agree. They never considered her a person with human rights. My daughter is full of life and optimism, she never met a person she didn't like, and everyone in the town we live in knows her name. She is the heart of our home and a gift to our community. 

My greatest fear is that one day, when I am no longer around to keep a close eye on the medical staff who treat my daughter, is that one of them will decide that preserving her life is too costly, that she has nothing to contribute to society, she is suffering too much, and would be better off dead. 

I have interviewed many mothers of children and adults with special needs and learned that this is far more often the case than the media will admit. Our children are often considered a burden to society and many healthcare professionals feel obligated to allow or help them to die.  That is why my friend and I founded KIDS(Keep Infants with Down Syndrome) to raise awareness of the beauty of life with extra chromosomes. 

We who love individuals with disabilities know how valuable they are to our families, you can read 34 such stories in my book(link in my signature). We know that allowing voluntary Physician Assisted Suicide will be one step closer to a society, like Belgium which has recently begun to euthanize children, the Netherlands where the elderly are afraid to go to a hospital,  or Denmark which bragged by 2030, there will be no more people with Down syndrome. 

America is the the nation who opens her arms to those in need from around the world, we must not become a place where you have to be perfect to survive. 

Leticia Velasquez
Co-founder of KIDS (Keep Infants with Down Syndrome)
author of "A Special Mother is Born".

International Down Syndrome Coalition for Life WDSD March 21, 2012

World Down Syndrome Day

“Human genetics can be summarized in this basic creed; In the beginning is the message, and he message is in life, and the message is life. And if the message is a human message, then the life is a human life”.


March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day and to raise awareness of the beauty of our children, I will be posting each day of March, with a photo of Christina and a quote by my hero and future saint, Dr Jerome Lejeune from the pamphlet "21 Thoughts" available to you if you leave your email address below.

Daddy and Christina eating Sunday dinner in March 2011

His cause for canonization opened on my birthday, June 28 in 2007, and has now gone from the diocesan fact collecting phase on to Rome, according to this article from Zenit. We need two miracles for him to be canonized folks, time to pray for the good doctor's intercession for your loved ones. It has to be for a cure which can be measured, so I am going on record to ask for Dr Lejeune to pray for a cure for Christina's vertebrae, that they go from the misshapen mess, missing the left side of the C5 vertebrae, to perfectly healthy. This would be a tremendous cure, and would be easily notable with a simple x-ray that anyone could interpret. Imagine what a wonderful miracle that would be?!
Please join me in prayer for Christina.

March for Life 2012 An Amazing, Whirlwind Weekend

I was honored to have a busy four day whirlwind of a weekend Jan 20-23. Gabbi and I took Amtrak from New London to Washington DC with our friend Tracy Medling who also authored a book called "The Power of Choices" a powerful testimony about her abortion and healing. We were staying at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill so we could run a booth downstairs at the March for Life vendors area to sell our books. It was so exciting arriving in Union Station toting so many books we had to be assisted by a redcap in a golf cart!
Soon Gabbi and I were unpacked and off to the Kennedy Institute for a reception for the speakers of our First Annual Conference on Poor Prenatal Diagnoses and Therapeutic Interventions. I was honored to serve the lasagna and join Dr Byron Calhoun, Dr John Bruchalski and Dr Alberto Costa for dinner. We discussed the new study which states that abortion is safer than giving birth, and how its flawed. I was able to meet Mary Kellett, Nancy Mayer Whittington, Monica Rafie,  and members of the Kennedy Institute which is a center for the developmentally disabled of all ages.
Early on Saturday morning we were at the Family Research Council for the Conference which you can view in its entirety, here.



It was an incomparable learning experience, and even though I'm not a doctor, I was able to follow Dr Byron Calhoun as he described life saving surgeries for anomalies previously called "fatal" and learned that there are so many advances to save unborn babies, we don't have to lose hope just because a child has a poor prenatal diagnosis. I heard stirring testimony from former abortionist turned pro-life obstetrician and director of the Tepeyac Family Center Dr John Bruchalski. His stories of couples who gave birth to their children who, though only living a few moments, bore witness to the beauty and dignity of every human life was powerful. Dr Alberto Costa shared his stunning research findings using Alzheimer's drug Memantine to mitigate the cognitive delays and early onset of Alzheimer's in those with Down syndrome gave tremendous hope to this mother of a daughter with Down syndrome and proved that the Alzheimer's community and Down syndrome community have a lot to teach one another. Dr Laura Toso of the Jerome Lejeune Foundation shared how her career as a physician was inspired by her role model, French geneticist, Dr Jerome Lejeune. Dr David Prentice clarified the confusion between embryonic and adult stem cells and shared information about the 73 treatments which come from adult stem cells, many of which are life saving. No cures have come from embryonic cells at this time. I was inspired by the testimonies of Samuel Armas the baby whose little arm reached out of his mother's womb during a Spina Bifida operation and traveled around the world and Kristal Dahlegher a law student with a disability who testified that she is "God's Unmistaken Creation". Kristen Hawkins shared about her work with Medical Students for Life, two of whom, Robert Weir and Dominique Monlezun presented papers on their research,  and Jeanne Monahan gave a talk entitled, "Challenging the Perception of Perfection and Human Nature. Filmmakers Jordan and Daniel Allott shared a preview of their film. "Flashes of Color: Disability in the Age of Perfection". Which you can view here;


Soon it was my turn to share about my work with KIDS (Keep Infants with Down Syndrome) in a panel discussion with Melinda Delahoyde of CareNet, Chris Belll of Good Counsel Homes, Mary Kellett of Pre-natal Partners for Life and Nancy Mayer Whittington of Isaiah's Promise all peer ministries who help mothers who are expecting babies with special needs. It was a time of learning and inspiration which I hope many others will share by viewing this recording.

Gabbi, Leticia and Jeni Stepanek

Leticia signing books at the Basilica  Bookstore

Leticia speaking about KIDS at Family Resource Council

Dr Karen Summar, Rep Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Leticia 

Later that evening, Gabbi and I attended the fundraising dinner for St Joseph House, a respite care home run by Cubby and Dan Lahood of Silver Spring, MD. We had a table right up front and enjoyed the Singing Seminarians and the Faculty Singers from The Heights. We saw a video about Cubby and Dan's amazing apostolate, inspired by the death of their son Francis, a multiply handicapped infant who died minutes after birth, where they care for several developmentally disabled people to give their parents a break. Cubby and Dan bring the people of St Joseph's House to Mass, enjoy splashing in the pool and welcome them to their family table; in fact they and their three children integrate those they care for into every aspect of their lives, and treat them with such tender love I was reminded of a documentary I saw about Blessed Mother Teresa and her loving touch with the disabled. No wonder 300 people had gathered to raise funds for St Joseph House, it is a light to all who encounter it. Nancy Mayer Whittington, who herself lost a daughter soon after birth,  works with the Lahoods on Isaiah's Promise, an apostolate for parents of babies with poor pre-natal diagnoses.
On Sunday the Allott brothers and I discussed their plans to finish "Flashes of Color" and attended the Pro-life Leadership Mass with Cardinal DiNardo presiding. He spoke powerfully about the Obama Administration's HHS mandate that Catholic institutions must pay for contraception. He compared the USA to Ninevah in the Old Testament which was being called to repent by the prophet Jonah. At the reception Gabbi and I were honored to meet Jeni StepanekStepanek and author of the book, "Messenger" a biography of her famous son, best selling poet and spokesman for world peace, Mattie Stepanek. Jeni is a warm and engaging person and I am honored to be reviewing her book shortly.
We met USCCB Pro-life luminaries Richard Dorflinger and Deirdre McQuade, and thanks to our friend Valerie Guilloux of the Jerome Lejeune Foundation USA were able to give EWTN "The World Over" host Raymond Arroyo a copy of "A Special Mother is Born".
Then we rushed to the National Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception where I signed my book next to EWTN Show Host Brother Leo, and Bella Producer Jason Jones. Jason was leading a group in support of Rick Santorum for president in the March for Life and  I gave him a Santorum banner to lead their group. Then Gabbi and I attended a reception for Legalworks Apostolate at Catholic University Law School given for Catholic Broadcasters. I signed books for members which included Michael Hichborn of American Life League and EWTN show host Teresa Tomeo. We met our friends the Franciscans of the Immaculate who filmed this interview of me about my book for their video blog AirMaria.com.

KIDS members assemble to march for life

Later on the Metro platform at Catholic University we were serenaded by seminarians from Orlando who sang "Panis Angelicus". If only Washington were this Catholic all year!

On Monday at 7:20 I was on the SonRise Morning Show with Brian Patrick sharing my plans for a gathering of KIDS (Keep Infants with Down Syndrome) at 11AM. Gabbi and I attended part of Pro-life Con at Family Research Council watching Dr Gerard Nadal discuss his powerful combination of pro-life apologetics and biology in his writing on his wildly popular blog Coming Home. I met Michael Clancy the photographer who took Samuel Arma's photo and has traveled the world ever since testifying to the dignity of all human life. I was delighted to finally meet Josh Mercer the director of  the wonderful Catholic Vote.

Gabbi and Leticia finish the March for Life at the Capitol

We arrived at the Headquarters of National Right to Life Committee to greet our biggest group of marchers ever, including members of the International Order of the Alhambra,   three Sisters of Charity of our Lady, Mother of the Church, with students from The Academy of the Holy Family, members of Youth with a Mission and our guests of honor Rep Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Dr Karen Summar a developmental pediatrician. Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers shared what she is doing in Congress.  They are pursuing funding the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act, and have introduced two bills, the Centers of Excellence in Down Syndrome Translational Research Act and the Down Syndrome Research Resources Act.  She spoke about how she is connecting with the Alzheimer's research community and how important it was to coordinate research for both Down syndrome and Alzheimer's (because of their close relationship genetically).  She also spoke of the status of the ABLE Act.
We presented Cathy with a beautiful, patriotic hook rug wall hanging with the message "God Bless America," which was made by one of our members, 18-year-old Anna Sheppard who has Down syndrome.
Soon it was time to march for life and KIDS members assembled outdoors for our annual photo since we were too numerous to take a photo indoors. We were greeted by freezing rain but remained steadfast marching up Capitol Hill to the Supreme Court.
Gabbi and I said goodbye to our friends and headed to the Hyatt where my books were selling well. At last the Convention closed and we had a last minute visit to the Sisters of Life stunning pro-life multi media exhibition "You and Me" at the John Paul II Cultural Center.
It was an amazing, evocative exhibit which was the perfect ending to the most amazing weekend of my career! God has granted me so many amazing opportunities to share the joy our special children bring into our lives!

My interview on "National Review "

While in Washington for book signings, my Pre-natal Diagnosis Conference, and the March for Life, I ran into National Review columnist Kathryn Jean Lopez. We had already collaborated on this interview for National Review which came out today.

Here's a sneak peak;

LOPEZ: How can we help doctors? So many parents in your book got little encouragement from their doctor, instead having to beg to give their child a chance at life. One doctor even lied to the parents about the possibilities for the child living much beyond birth.

VELASQUEZ: Doctors may appear to have an agenda, but it’s most helpful to assume that misconceptions can be overcome with information. They should be encouraged to educate themselves through conferences like the one I am giving about the latest research — whether it be medical research or improved educational methods, so they can help their patients give truly informed consent when a diagnosis is given. They also need the encouragement of seeing our families living fulfilled lives with a child with special needs; in many cases they have not seen families like ours. I recently interviewed Princeton bioethicist Peter Singer, who admitted he had no exposure to people with Down Syndrome. I am hoping that a family with a child with Down Syndrome befriends him so that his eyes can be opened to the joy such children bring.

There are increasing numbers of outreach programs to medical students from members of the special-needs community. One of them at the Boggs Center in New Jersey has a medical student spend a day with a family raising a child with special needs. These relationships can offer the doctor a different perspective than was taught in medical school. Offer to chat with your obstetrician’s other patients who are expecting a child with a disability, or give them a copy of my book. There is also a beautiful free pamphlet available through the National Down Syndrome Society called “Understanding a Down Syndrome Diagnosis.”

Fourth Annual KIDS Event at March for Life

We are excited to announce plans for the fourth annual KIDS event at the 2012 March for Life in Washington, DC! Once again, we will be meeting at the headquarters of the National Right to Life Committee, just a few blocks from the start of the March. See details at the end of this note for time and location.

We are honored to have Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgersas our special guest for the third year in a row. Cathy is from the state of Washington and has a 4-year-old son, Cole, with Down syndrome. She is a champion for children with special needs in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Participating in the March for Life is like nothing that can be expressed in words; it just has to be experienced! Seeing and being part of the sea of pro-lifers that swarm up Constitution Avenue is so inspiring. Last year it occurred to me that out of all the thousands and thousands of different organizations, parishes, faith communities, high schools, colleges, and pro-life groups that have a presence at the March, our KIDS group may be one of the only, if not the only, group to represent a class of people who are specifically targeted for abortion--those precious unborn babies with Down syndrome.
Now that the new prenatal maternal blood test, MaterniT21, is out on the market, making it even easier to detect Down syndrome earlier in pregnancy, it is even more important for families (and friends) of children with Down syndrome to come together and have a presence at the March for Life, to show the world what a blessing our children (young and adult) are. Please, please, come if you are able! It can be overwhelming to think about driving or taking the Metro into DC with your children, but really, I think sometimes the anticipation of doing it is more overwhelming than actually doing it. If your children are not up walking the entire March, you can do just part of it. But we would so love to see you at the KIDS event!

Here are the details:
Date: Monday, January 23rd
Time: 10:30 - Noon
Location: National Right to Life Committee, 512 10th Avenue, NW, Washington, DC

Special Guest: Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who will arrive at 11:00 a.m.

The National Right to Life Committee generously invites us to use space in their offices and also provides sandwiches and refreshments. So you can have a nice lunch to give you energy for the March! Thank you NRLC!

Please spread the word to anyone you know who has a family member with Down syndrome, or anyone who has a heart for individuals with Down syndrome. If there is another Down syndrome group who will be participating, we invite them to join us. We hope to see you in a few weeks! (It would be helpful to let us know if you are coming, just so we can get an estimate of how many to expect. Also, we would like to give more details (cell phone numbers, parking directions, etc.))

Eileen and Leticia

http://keepinfantswithdownsyndrome.blogspot.com/

Here's my post from last year's event.

World AIDS Day and Down syndrome; where is the cure?

One of my pet peeves was brought to mind by World AIDS Day. Not that I oppose finding a cure for HIV. 
I was a social worker when AIDS emerged in the eighties. I helped a young man with HIV who was kicked out of the loft in Greenwich Village which he had shared with his lover, and was now living miles from a payphone in the country where he slowly died of AIDS.No one was with him.  He covered his mouth in my office, and treated himself as a pariah, asking me to touch the doorknobs for him, since no one knew how AIDS was transmitted. My heart broke with compassion for him, abandoned to die alone. There was very little I could do besides make him comfortable and keep him company in 1985. 
In a little over three decades, we discovered AIDS existed, raised money for research, and found treatments. Now its effectively cured, if only we would admit that it is spread by immoral sexual activity, we could have it under control. I am happy for those who are benefiting. Too bad that young man is not among them. 


 In 1958 Dr Jerome Lejeune discovered trisomy 21, the cause of Down syndrome.  We should have rejoiced that a cure was now possible, and as with AIDS, banded together to raise funds. However, rather than joining him in his efforts to find a cure, which Dr Lejeune described as "taking less effort than sending a man to the moon" (which, by the way was done since T21 was discovered) the March of Dimes spent its millions developing a search-and-destroy methods of prenatal diagnosis, using Dr Lejeune's discovery to find unborn babies with Down syndrome. This led to an abortion rate of 92% for such babies. Some cure. Dr Lejeune watched this happen and dedicated his life to finding a cure, he said, 'I see only one way left to save them, and that is to cure them. The task is immense--but so is Hope."


Did we kill AIDS patients as a means to a cure?  
Or cancer patients?


 Dr Lejeune said, "Medicine becomes mad science when it attacks the patient instead of fighting the disease. We must always be on the patient's side, always."


Why was pre-natal diagnosis and abortion for nearly 50 years considered the end of the Down syndrome story? Sure, its a complicated disease, but so is HIV. I have to think that AIDS patients being movie stars like Rock Hudson had a lot to do with the dedication and  speed with which we found a cure. There are 2.7 million afflicted with HIV in the USA and nearly half a million who have trisomy 21, or 20% of that number. That is still a significant population, yet there were no huge TV specials, no ribbon on the White House, or until recently, no big Hollywood celebrities sponsoring efforts to raise money for Down syndrome research. Instead, researchers like Dr Alberto Costa have to give of their own money to search for a cure for his daughter's Down syndrome.
Like Dr Costa, I have a daughter with Down syndrome. She is no Hollywood celebrity, but don't try to tell her that. Her smile and her can-do attitude brighten her elementary school.  I volunteer full time to raise awareness of the inequity with which people with trisomy 21 are treated. No, not in education, thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act, she can go to typical school right through college. But in research. 
And in the way it is considered standard medical practice that a woman expecting a child with Down syndrome gets no more than a phone number for an abortion clinic instead of information about how good life is for those with Down syndrome. Thanks to Dr Brian Skotko, whose new survey in the American Journal of Medical Genetics, brings out the fact that 99% of families are happy with their child with Down syndrome, and that the people with T21 are just as pleased with their liives. This is not what expectant women have been hearing. My friends have been told they were selfish for wanting to give birth to their child with Down syndrome, bringing misery upon themselves and their families. Its simply not true. And I am working through KIDS (Keep Infants with Down Syndrome) to change how the diagnosis is treated, especially since with the new diagnostic test, MaterniT21, the diagnosis will be offered more widely and earlier. Doctors will have results at 12 weeks instead of 22, giving women plenty of time to educate themselves about what life is really going to be like for their child with Down syndrome before making a decision to abort. 


I want people like Christina to find the compassion, resources,  and acceptance which is now offered to AIDS patients. Why shouldn't she be treated with equal dignity?
Things are changing. Three years ago, the National Institute of Health formulated a research plan to find a cure for the cognitive delays of Down syndrome, and is now forming a consortium of parents and researchers. The legacy of Dr Lejeune lives on in newly formed Lejeune USA which had a major meeting at the Neuroscience Convention last month in DC (more about that meeting in future posts). UC San Diego Down syndrome researcher Dr William Mobley said, "if you told me a decade ago, I would be discussing clinical trials for a drug to treat Down syndrome cognitive delays, with four laboratories, I would not have believed it". 
  I was heartened by the star-studded fundraiser "Be Beautiful, Be Yourself" offered by the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome in Washington last month at $500 a plate. Gladys Knight was there and so was my Congressman. We don't want people with Down syndrome to go away, but there is bright promise that within a decade, the significant delays in memory and learning which my daughter endures, may be, like AIDS, on the way to the dustbin of history.

Thank you to those who help research Down syndrome

Thanks to the leadership of NJ Governor Christie's wife, Mary Pat Christie, by promoting "Light the Way" an initiative of Research Down Syndrome to call awareness to Down syndrome research projects in the USA, several "first spouses" of our nation's governor's lit their residences in blue on March 21, World Down syndrome Day. Because of efforts like this we have more funding for research to help people with Down syndrome develop their potential.
Here's a bit about Research Down syndrome:

Research Down Syndrome is a non-profit foundation that supports and funds Down syndrome cognitive research conducted at leading institutions that are studying the basis of the intellectual impairments associated with Down syndrome, including Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, The University of Arizona, University of California, San Diego, and University of Colorado. Recent scientific advances have revolutionized this field of research, providing for the near term development of targeted medical therapies to treat the cognitive challenges associated with Down syndrome, improving memory, learning and communication, expanding and enhancing life opportunities, for people of all ages with Down syndrome. Research Down Syndrome is a legal corporate entity, and is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization designated by the Internal Revenue Code. For more information, please visit www.researchds.org, or contact RDS at info@researchds.org, or 877.863.2121.

Watch their amazing video on Down syndrome research here. 

This Saturday, I had the delight ordering decaffeinated Green Tea capsules for Christina from the health food store, knowing that research results in Spain had already proven their effectiveness.Thank you to the Jerome Lejeune Foundation for the first ever effective therapy for improving the cognition and learning. of people with  Down syndrome.

In France, Jean Delabar, a researcher at the CNRS in Paris, used another method consisting of acting directly on the Dyrk1A gene on chromosome 21. Because it exists in 3 copies, this gene functions excessively, so the aim was to diminish its activity, which Jean Delabar succeeded in doing by injecting a natural inhibitor in the mice, namely a molecule derived from green tea. In Barcelona, Pr. Mara Dierssen successfully carried out a pre-clinical trial with this molecule on ten adult patients aged 20 to 30. She is now preparing a clinical trial on 100 patients.

Read about the research with Green Tea in Barcelona at this link.
May this be only the beginning of a growing trend!

7 day blitz for Kirill.

our perfectly imperfect life: a 7 day blitz for kirill.: "On March 17, 2011, the Davis family sat in a Russian courtroom and listened as the judge rejected their plea to adopt Kirill, an orphan with..."
The judge refused to allow the American family adopt an orphan named Kirll because he is "socially unacceptable". He has Down syndrome. The family is appealing the case, but the costs which are usually  30K have just jumped thanks to the judge's prejudice. He wants Kirill in a mental hospital, which is where Russian orphans with Down syndrome are warehoused. Its a nightmare.
Meanwhile, there is a great blitz going on at Our Perfectly Imperfect Life to raise money to bring Kirill home.
Click the link above and join in. There are a dozen awesome prizes. Even Patricia Heaton heard about this and is donating up to $10,000 to Reece's Rainbow, the agency which manages overseas adoption of orphans with Down syndrome. She'll donate one dollar for each new follower Reece's Rainbow gets on Twitter.Follow Reece's Rainbow on Twitter by clicking here.
Read more on Fox News.

Dr Lejeune quotes in preparation for World Down Syndrome Day

I will be sharing 21 quotes from the man who discovered the cause of Down syndrome,  Dr Jerome Lejeune in preparation for World Down Syndrome Day, March 21. His faith and wisdom come through the translation.
Here is today's quote,
" Human genetics can be summarized in this basic creed.
In the beginning is the message, and the message is in life, and the message is life.
And if the message is a human message,then the life is a human life".

Faith and Family Magazine hosts "Mom's Day Away" Retreat

Faith & Family Magazine Hosts “Mom’s Day Away” April Retreat

Registration is now open for this event in Stoneham, Massachusetts

New London, Conn. (March 2, 2011) —Faith and Family magazine has been inspiring Catholic family life, and Catholic moms in particular, both in print and at their vibrant website www.faithandfamilylive.com for many years. Now, Catholic moms are invited to this inaugural live event scheduled for Saturday April 2, 2011, at St. Patrick’s Parish Hall in Stoneham, MA, 8am - 5pm.

This Moms-only “day away” is designed to inspire and energize mothers for their important work as they joyfully celebrate their Catholic Faith with other Catholic moms. Moms will be spiritually “pampered” with prayer, socialization, relaxation, and inspirational talks.

This event allows mothers to share wisdom and inspiration with sisters-in-Christ who are walking the same faith journey. Featured presenters are well-known Catholic Mom bloggers and authors:

- Danielle Bean, editor of Faith and Family, and author of three books on the subject of mothering, including her latest, Small Steps for Catholic Moms (Circle Press, 2010).

- Rachel Balducci, blogger at Faith and Family and Testosterhome, and author of How to Tuck in a Super Hero, and Other Delightful Mysteries of Raising Boys, (Revell, 2010).

- Jennifer Fulwiler, blogger at Conversion Diary, and at the National Catholic Register. 

Schedule for Sat. April 2, 2011: Doors open, 8am. Conference hours 9am - 4pm. Attendees are invited to attend the Parish Vigil Mass at 4pm. Morning break and lunch is included in conference fee.

Cost & Registration: $40.00 per person, seating limited to 200.
Online ticket sales only at: http://faithandfamily.eventbrite.com/ 

Faith & Family welcomes Bible Toys (http://www.bibletoys.com) as the day’s sponsor.

My tribute to Mom in "Celebrate Life" magazine is out

I wrote "Three Generations for Life" a tribute to how my mother's example as a woman of prayer and pro-life action led to my activism and prayer, and that of her grandaughters. I share how, amidst her cheerful energy at  her final March for Life, in 2009, she was suffering from undected cancer which sent her home to Our Lord within 9 months.

Now she is reaping the rewards of a life well lived for the cause of the Gospel of Life.

You can see Celebrate Life magazine here, but you can only view my piece in the print edition. On the cover is a lovely photo of another pro-life activist who went home this year, Dr Mildred Jefferson.

KIDS in the March for Life

Gabbi, Bella and Christina arrive at the Mall. 

The event after my EWTN interview with Teresa Tomeo (one of our group recorded it and posted it on Facebook, you can view it here) went very well, thanks be to God.

The EWTN area where Leticia filmed her KIDS interview. 

Leticia discussing Dr Lejeune with Valerie Guilloux and Rep McMorris Rogers. 

Gabbi filming the presentation of "Life is a Blessing"

 I came in ten minutes late, huffing and puffing, after having walked rapidly the entire 9 blocks between the EWTN interview location and the National Right to Life Headquarters, but I was thrilled to introduce Rep McMorrisRogers to Valerie Guilloux of the Lejeune Foundation. she presented the Congresswoman with a copy of "Life is a Blessing", some brochures and a press kit. I hope that this is the beginning of a fruitful relationship between the founder of the Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus and the Jerome Lejeune Foundation in the US. 



The KIDS marchers with Rep McMorris Rogers
We videotaped the entire event, and will be producing a short documentary on the KIDS participation in the March, so you can see it and share it with that big homeschooling group when its done. I would love to meet Dr Bruchalski after my back is recovered. My doctor, Dr Judith Mascolo, who was with me in the interview has put me on travel restrictions for three months. She said my back is completely stress related! Wonder where she got that idea?!

 After Rep McMorris Rogers left, I had some down time to eat and chat with Valerie Guilloux. She and her husband, Jean-Marc, are the contact people for the Jerome Lejeune Foundation in the USA. 

Eddie Sloan on dad Neil's shoulder. 

 By the time we marched, we were only Dr Judtih Mascolo, and her two daughters, Neil and Melissa Sloan and their two kids, and me and my three girls, and one of Gabbi's college friends. The six young men from Catholic University's branch of the Order of Alhambra (Catholic fraternal order which cares for the intellectually disabled) had begun to march already. My Christina refused to join the March as it was too noisy and congested, so we walked on the sidewalk alongside, with me coaxing her block by block. I miss the days she used a stroller!

Rep Cathy McMorris Rogers (center) with Leticia and family.

We didn't want to get stuck in the bottleneck in front of the Supreme Court, so, after interviewing the Neil and Melissa Sloan for the documentary, and meeting Monica, a contributor to my book A Special Mother is Born, we filmed a few minutes of the thousands of young marchers surging up Capitol Hill,  we headed for the Hyatt, and met many old friends and new ones. I got to chat with recent convert to the pro-life cause and the Catholic Church, and author of "Unplanned", Abby Johnson, and her husband. He shared how happy he was when his wife left her job at Planned Parenthood, and she shared how it was the loving, prayerful pro-life protesters who touched her heart. "The harsh ones, carrying bloody signs only hardened my resolve to keep doing what I was doing," she said. 

 I was able to tell  Terri Schiavo's mom Mary. Schindler how sorry I was for the loss of her beloved daughter and husband, Robert, who died this year, and how, as the mother of a special needs child, her daughter's murder was personal to me. I told her how we made a three foot by 12 foot sign saying "Save Terri" and held it on the Supreme Court steps while praying the rosary in her final days. Mary was moved by this, and came over to meet Christina.

We also met our friend, Good Counsel Homes Director Chris Bell and his sister-in-laws who wrote "The Caterpillar who Went to Church": series. I told them how their book was instrumental in helping me catechized Christina regarding the Blessed Sacrament, preparing her for her First Holy Communion, and Susan Brindle gave me a book which compiles all there sacrament stories into one. The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who run Morningstar Camp and the Franciscans of the Immaculate from Airmaria were also with us. Such saints among us!

Then, completely exhausted, we took the Metro to our hotel. The Metro was thick with priests and leftover marchers, and two lovely Virgina gentlemen gave up their seats for my young daughters. Southern hospitality at its best!

 The girls went out with Judy for pizza near the hotel which was buzzing with fraternity and sorority events (we were on the campus of George Washington University) I remained behind in the hotel with Christina, with a cold compress on my swollen feet, on my bed, trying to relax a back strung tighter than a violin, while trying in vain to find news coverage of the March on TV. Maybe that wasn't the most relaxing thing to do!

The next morning, we got a mistaken wake-up call at 7AM, tried to shower with limited hot water (the hotel had a boiler crisis) and at 9:40 got on the road. We picked up our camera equipment at National Right to Life Committee Headquarters, and some coffee, and made our last DC stop at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, where a new president was being installed in a Mass. The girls toured the Basilica while I interviewed (by phone) Fr Gary Thomas on whose experience the new film "The Rite" is based. See the interview here. 

We installed new windshield wipers on the van since my husband advised us we were heading towards snowstorms up north, and Gabbi my 18 year old was driving  ecause of my back spasms. I am in awe of her steady nerves, and common sense. Near the end of our trip, my back was feeling better and I offered to drive, however she insisted, saying, "I want to say I drove the entire journey in both directions".

Leticia and Abby Johnson, author of "Unplanned"

She did it, however we were disheartened that we arrived at the Charter TV studio too late to tape an interview on the March, because of our many stops. 

We promised to do a show for "The Face of Pro-life" next month, including our film clips. We will be sharing links to it here. 

It was a fruitful and blessed trip to the March for Life. 

Leticia, Friar Roderic Burke, FI, and Good Counsel Homes Chris Bell. 

Mary Schindler, Leticia and Christina