We are so blessed to be able to gather as a family both at home and on vacation. Covid 19 has certainly been a trial when gathering together this past year and ten months. Last Thanksgiving was not the same with so many family members absent from our table. This June promised a respite, however brief, from the masking and elbow-bump greetings. Hugs and kisses came back with vaccinated family and close friends. Bryan was thrilled that Marshall’s lifted the mask mandate at work.

And, now, we are back to it once again. The variants are abundant and infections are increasing even among the vaccinated. Bryan is back to wearing his mask everywhere he goes, especially at work. A recent article on Monday’s Bucks County Courier Times front page caught my eye and tugged at my heart. Young father, John Anastasi, wrote an informative and moving article about his sweet little 16-month-old daughter, Violet, who happens to have Down Syndrome like Bryan. It is a must-read!

This eye-opening piece stresses the fact that children like little Violet and those with autism and other special needs are more at risk. The little ones who attend elementary school are also particularly vulnerable. The consequences of a young child, especially with Down Syndrome, being infected with Covid 19 are dire, indeed. John mentioned that a British study has found that Down Syndrome adults over the age of forty have quite a high mortality rate from contracting Covid.

And, so, Bryan is signed up to get his booster shot in October. He readily agreed to this as quickly as he had embraced getting the two-shot vaccine back in the winter. His concern about family members not able to get their shots as soon as he did was always at the forefront of his mind. He would frequently ask about all of his closest friends and family to see if they had gotten both shots. It took us all a while, but now Bryan breathes easier because those he loves are safer from this unseen virus.

No matter your political leanings, think about little 16-month-old Violet and 40-year-old Bryan and how much they are loved and cherished as you would your own children. Know that this part of the population cannot fight off the germs and viruses that others recover quickly from – be it Covid 19 or the common cold. And protect them as you protect yourself and those whom you love. We parents thank you from the bottom of our hearts!