Famous YouTuber, Jesse Ridgway is currently dominating the headlines for his personal life. For the unversed, Jesse’s wife, Ashley, terminated her pregnancy as their unborn child had a 95 per cent chance of being born with Down syndrome. Recently, he took to his Instagram Stories and mentioned that Down syndrome ‘is not a blessing’. However, this comment didn’t sit well with the CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society, Kandi Pickard, who has now strongly reacted to it.
Kandi Pickard strongly disagrees with Jesse Ridgway, calling Down syndrome not a blessing
In a recent interview with People, Kandi Pickard, the CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), strongly reacted to popular YouTuber, Jesse Ridway calling Down syndrome not a blessing. She explained that, being a mom to her 14-year-old son, Mason, who has Down syndrome, she totally disagrees with Jesse. According to Kandi, statistics say that people who have Down syndrome and their families are happy with their lives, and they like who they are. Acknowledging that the diagnosis can be scary for parents, Kandi mentioned that it’s important that families “have the correct and accurate information to make their own decisions.” In her words:
“When Jesse says that Down syndrome isn’t a blessing, as a parent, I vehemently disagree. There’s statistics out here from individuals with Down syndrome and also from their families that 99% of people with Down syndrome are happy with their lives and they like who they are. 99% of families say that they love their children and they’re proud of them. I think that this is valuable information to understand.”
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