Protecting the aging brain
People with Down syndrome face a higher risk of early dementia. That's why I read so much about brain health, for my daughter and for me. Nothing I share here is meant to prevent or treat any disease. Sources
My story
The Upside Down Doc
Down syndrome mom since 2014
On January 24, 2014, I was running the operating room board at the hospital where I worked as an attending anesthesiologist. I had spent twelve years following the road map to becoming a doctor, and I was proud to be "one of the boys" in a field full of men.
The next day our first child, Sidney, was born. As the nurses cleaned her up, the delivery room went silent, and we were told she likely had Down syndrome. In the middle of that grief, I asked out loud to go back to work.
Seven weeks later, I did. For over a year I was a capable doctor at the hospital and a depressed woman everywhere else. Work was the one place I could numb the pain.
When my group lost its contract, the new one offered part time. I said yes without knowing why. I started therapy, found a mentor who was also a part-time anesthesiologist, and went back to work on myself. I learned to feel the pain instead of numbing it, and it changed me as a mother, a physician and a person.
Sidney's road has had more turns since then. In 2020 she was also diagnosed with autism. I've learned how much her body, movement, sleep and senses shape how her brain learns, and how much my own wellbeing shapes hers. I've stepped away from practicing medicine to share what I've learned with moms like me.
I see you, and I will continue to go to work so that you can be seen.From my essay for World Down Syndrome Day, 2022
