A father who has Down syndrome is like all fathers who want the best for their children. This young man's story proves it.
Despite the fact, that times have changed and we try to communicate diversity as a resource rather than a limit or a handicap, there are contexts that still raise doubts and misunderstandings.
One of them is Down syndrome. It is a condition that causes shock and confusion, requiring acceptance and adaptation by those who give birth to an individual with this genetic predisposition.
With that being said, just imagine what it means to be born from a parent who has the characteristic "trisomy 21" (an extra chromosome) that causes the genetic disorder called Down Syndrome.
This is the case of Sader Issa, a young 21-year-old Syrian man with a father who has Down syndrome. The young man has shared what means to grow up in such an "unusual" family.
Perhaps, in all honesty, it would be better to say that he has shared what it means to have been raised by two extraordinary parents ...
His father, Jad, raised him like many other children have been raised. In fact, Jad raised his son to be serene and happy by always supporting him, helping him both economically and emotionally, and giving him all his love and affection.
Today, Sader is studying to become a dentist, and his dad does not hide his pride for having raised such a smart and hard-working young man, in spite of all the difficulties.
SSSD Comunication and Media Team/ YouTube
The particular circumstances of this family would suggest an existence marked by struggles, sacrifice, and difficulties.
Yet, Sader speaks of his childhood and adolescence with absolute serenity, describing a family full of joy, love, and mutual support.
Similarly, Sader is proud to have a parent like his father who is willing and able to stand by him in every moment of his life, helping him to become the young man that he is today.
Jad is a simple man, who works in a mill near his house, he is well-liked and respected by the whole community.
Sader's story definitely makes us think about what disability really is and the meaning of the concept of "normality".
In fact, if the young man's grandmother had decided not to give birth to his father, now Sader would not be here to live his life, to fill with joy, a father who when he speaks about him to others, refers to him as "my son, the doctor".
This affirms that love, a word that is often abused, taken for granted, and trivialized, is essentially the only thing that, in reality, makes the world go round!
