Hudson's Journey

In September, my family went on an amazing vacation. A very needed vacation away from our house remodel, therapy and doctors appointments. When we booked this particular vacation, I knew it would be fun; however, I didn’t know the profound impact we had in store. We took our first Buddy Cruise. Buddy Cruise partners with…

Hudson Jag Hartman of Pass Christian, Mississippi, will appear in the bright lights of Broadway on Saturday, September 17, as part of the annual National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) Times Square Video presentation. The one-hour video of roughly 500 photographs includes children, teens, and adults with Down syndrome from all 50 states. These collective images promote the…

Many will already recognize “lagniappe” as a commonly used word; for me, the word has a whole new meaning since Hudson was born. Lagniappe (lan-yap): “Something given as a bonus or EXTRA gift” and the cajun meaning is “a little EXTRA”.   Hudson is lagniappe. Our family received lagniappe the day he was born. Down…

     If you’re feeling relieved that your genetic testing came back with little to no chance your baby will have any chromosome abnormalities, you can and should celebrate. Your baby will not face all the challenges my baby does. I am super happy for you. I will celebrate your baby with you. I would…

  “Every parent plans to raise their child for about 18 years, set them free for 30 years and then hope they come back to help them face the final years of their own life…. … A SPECIAL NEEDS parent can sometimes plan to raise their child for 65 years and while doing so also…