Appeals

Luke takes life at a run

Luke was diagnosed with Down syndrome at three days old.

”We were shattered. Neil, my husband, was particularly worried about the effect this would have on our eldest child, Ben, who was 4,” says Melanie Simons. “He had been so excited to have a brother, and had big plans for Luke, who had finally arrived.

“We told him that Luke had Down syndrome, and that it would mean that it would take Luke a little longer to do some things than other babies. Ben looked at us and simply said, ‘But I love him a thousand already, don’t you?’ So we took his lead.”

Ben is now eight, Luke is four and sister Emily is five. Luke keeps up with Ben and Emily with the help of his ‘running’ bike with two wheels at the back. “Always running away from his mother, of course,” says Melanie.

The Ashburton family refuses to let Luke be defined by his disability. “He wants to do everything his brother and sister do, he just sometimes takes a little longer.”

“He is not broken and doesn’t need to be fixed. He is perfect just as he is. We are lucky to have three healthy children, and count Luke as one of them.”

Melanie says the hardest thing about having a child with a disability has been the attitudes of others. She says children with Down syndrome bring the same joy and hard work that any other child brings. “All we want is for others to see Luke as we see him; as a little boy who loves animals and cars, who will spend as many hours in the sandpit as he can squeeze into the day, and who is cheeky and full of fun.

“Down syndrome is not who he is. He is our son and we are proud of him.”