Up, Not Down Syndrome: Uplifting Lessons Learned from Raising a Son With Trisomy 21

by Nancy M Schwartz

Overview

Up, Not Down Syndrome is a love letter and a map. Experience how it feels to think your life is over after having an unlovable baby. At first the loss seems impossible to overcome. Alex becomes the author's greatest teacher. Love is stronger than fear. Everyone has gifts. The book consists of three parts: the story, the lessons Alex taught the writer and Alex's perspective. Up, Not Down Syndrome is a promise to stay positive, no matter what: up, not down. Nancy's journey gets to the core of what it is to be human:

Explore what it feels like to think life, as you know it, is over.

Discover the fierce love, joy and peace a baby diagnosed with Trisomy 21 (Down syndrome) brings.

Learn the lessons this child taught his mom.

Understand the gift this baby brings to our world.

Realize the depth of the love this family has for the child.

"A beautiful, honest account of not just accepting--but embracing--the unknown. Nancy shows us the blessing of an unexpected gift and the enormity of love."
--Sara Byala, Ph.D.

"This is a wonderful book to remind you that the joy of love is possible in unexpected places when you open your heart to it."
--Barbara Taylor Bowman, Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Development

"A moving and wise story of how a family navigates through hope, loss, learning and, most of all, love."
--Rabbi David Wolpe, author of David: The Divided Heart

"The truth and beauty of Nancy Schwartz's words tell an ongoing story of love, learning and the power of acceptance. All can learn from this family's boundless hope and from their source of joy and strength: Alex."
--April Beard, Music Educator and Cellist

Learn more at www.UpNotDownBook.com
From Modern History Press www.ModernHistoryPress.com

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615994625
Publisher:	Modern History Press
Publication date:	04/01/2020
Pages:	124
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.34(d)

About the Author

Nancy Schwartz has taught in Pennsylvania for twenty-six years. She holds certificates as an ESL program specialist, reading specialist, and elementary and early education educator. Nancy's undergraduate degree came from Temple University, and she attended graduate school at Saint Joseph's University. Nancy spent several summers studying at the Teachers College Columbia University, Reading and Writing Project. She enjoys ballet, reading, writing, art, fashion, animals, music, and, most of all, motherhood. This is her first book. You can find more photos and stories on her website www.UpNotDownBook.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Story of Alex’s Birth 1

Chapter 1 - Shock 11

Chapter 2 - Oxygen 31

Chapter 3 - Light 39

Chapter 4 - Living 45

Chapter 5 - Bumps 65

Chapter 6 - Boob 79

Chatper 7 - Up Bow, Down Bow 87

Chapter 8 - Architect 91

Bibliography 101

Acknowledgments 105

About the Author 107

Index 109

Editorial Reviews

"Once in a great while, there is a book that speaks directly to your heart. It uplifts you and pulls you in with a compelling story and a message that changes how you think. In Up, Not Down Syndrome, Nancy Schwartz shares her real-life story of giving birth to Alex, her son whose challenges and struggles catapulted her and her family into a whole new world and a whole new perspective on life. She shares her inner struggles, the real life drama of what happened, and her family's breathtaking victories. It's a story of learning to see the good, of gratitude, and growth. It's a must-read for people of all ages with its universal message of hope and light and love."
-- Susie Garber, Educator, Mother, Grandmother, Reporter, Speaker, and Author

"Up, Not Down Syndrome will challenge your notion that raising a differently-abled child is any sort of hardship. Instead, it is the great­est blessing bestowed upon us; we are not worthy. This book is a giant fist reaching into your chest, squishing your heart, changing every­thing you believed about parenting someone special. No non­sense storytelling but with Nancy's beautifully sculpted soul gleaming through each page. Be prepared to meet and fall in love with Alex and his posse, even if you spill tears on each page."
-- Paige Figi, Adventurer, Executive Director of Coalition for Access Now, Charlotte's Web CBD

"'How can I love an imperfect child?' author Nancy Schwartz asks in her compulsively readable and heartwarming new book, Up, Not Down Syndrome. Through the pages of the book, Nancy learns that her new baby boy, Alex, will teach her how to love him and also how to embrace her new life in many happy and surprising ways. This is the story of one woman and one family embracing the challenges of raising a child with Trisomy 21 and finding that the daily battle of meet­­ing those challenges results in a deepening bond and richer under­­­standing of what it means to be human. Schwartz shows through­­out the book that she is a learner and she effectively shows readers how committing to learning about her child and from her child made all the difference. Along the way, she learns that Alex is a great teacher, but also a great learner himself. This is a joyful book about one woman's and one family's heroic journey and one little boy's capacity to teach others lessons in life and love."
-- Russ Walsh, Rider University, Author of A Parent's Guide to Public Education in the 21st Century

"Nancy, it's a wonder when someone does what you do, in Up, Not Down Syndrome--namely, puts a searchlight into the nooks and crannies of one's own experience to shine the light of day on our shared humanity. And you offer many little 'epiphanies' along the way, beginning on the first page of Chapter 1, where you write, 'But we cannot know life's later lessons in the moment. We can only be where we are.' Thank you for this."
-- Brenda Dixon-Gottschild, Ph.D., Author, Lecturer, Consultant, Teacher, Performer, and Prof. Emerita, Dance Studies, Temple University

From the Publisher