Courtney was elated to discover she was pregnant with her third daughter. But when Emersyn "Emmy" Faith was diagnosed with Down syndrome still inside the womb, Courtney looked to her prenatal specialist for encouragement and support. Instead, she received something much different.
The mother-of-three from Sanford, Florida says her doctor didn't just suggest that terminating her pregnancy was an option, but that he pressured her to do so even after she continued to refuse. Her doctor repeatedly suggested she abort her baby with special needs, claiming the entire family's quality of life would suffer.
When Courtney was still pregnant, she had so many things she wanted to say to her doctor in defense of her beloved baby — but she couldn't muster the courage to do it. In fact, it took her took more than a year to write and mail her letter to him. Finally, in May of 2016, Courtney and Emmy (now 15 months old) dropped the letter in the mail together. Courtney also shared her words on the Parker Myles Facebook page, where it has since gone viral.
Scroll down to see what mom and daughter have to say…
H/T: ABC News, Parker Myles
"Dear Doctor,
A friend recently told me of when her prenatal specialist would see her child during her sonograms, he would comment, 'He’s perfect.' Once her son was born with Down syndrome, she visited that same doctor.
He looked at her little boy and said, 'I told you. He’s perfect.'"
"Her story tore me apart. While I was so grateful for my friend’s experience, it filled me with such sorrow because of what I should have had. I wish you would have been that doctor.
I came to you during the most difficult time in my life. I was terrified, anxious and in complete despair. I didn’t know the truth yet about my baby, and that’s what I desperately needed from you. But instead of support and encouragement, you suggested we terminate our child. I told you her name, and you asked us again if we understood how low our quality of life would be with a child with Down syndrome.
You suggested we reconsider our decision to continue the pregnancy."
"From that first visit, we dreaded our appointments. The most difficult time in my life was made nearly unbearable because you never told me the truth.
My child was perfect.
I’m not angry. I’m not bitter. I’m really just sad. I’m sad the tiny beating hearts you see every day don’t fill you with a perpetual awe. I’m sad the intricate details and the miracle of those sweet little fingers and toes, lungs and eyes and ears don’t always give you pause. I’m sad you were so very wrong to say a baby with Down syndrome would decrease our quality of life. And I’m heartbroken you might have said that to a mommy even today. But I’m mostly sad you’ll never have the privilege of knowing my daughter, Emersyn."
"Because, you see, Emersyn has not only added to our quality of life, she’s touched the hearts of thousands. She’s given us a purpose and a joy that is impossible to express. She’s given us bigger smiles, more laughter and sweeter kisses than we’ve ever known. She’s opened our eyes to true beauty and pure love."
"So my prayer is that no other mommy will have to go through what I did. My prayer is that you, too, will now see true beauty and pure love with every sonogram.
And my prayer is when you see that next baby with Down syndrome lovingly tucked in her mother’s womb, you will look at that mommy and see me then tell her the truth:
'Your child is absolutely perfect.'"
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