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Today is a very special day because my first born child, my daughter Bella Mia was born with Down Syndrome. I like to use this day to talk about Down Syndrome in a fun way. If my daughter could speak, I would bring her on the air, however, Bella is still not quite ready to communicate using her voice. She uses an iPad to talk to us. There's so many other friends of ours who have Down Syndrome and I knew I had to find a way to bring Trevor Hendershot to your lives! So, here he is, our incredible friend with the funnest job we've ever heard of! Meet Trevor Hendershot, the official greeter for the LA Rams, LA Angels, Anaheim Ducks and USC!
Read this letter Trevor's dad wrote him for his 27th birthday on May 4, 2017:
Dear Trevor,
I recall the day of your birth, May 4, 1990, as first one of the happiest, then one of the saddest, and in retrospect one of the greatest days of my life, all in one...
When I first saw you being born and the doctor said, "He's a boy!" that was the happiest moment of my life. But when that same doctor, five minutes later, asked me, "Do you know what Down syndrome is?" that was one of the saddest moments of my life. I was so angry with God, "I don't deserve a son like this!" While I know I've apologized to you many times over the years, I'll always be so sorry for thinking & saying something like that :(
But you know that all the trials & triumphs, setbacks & successes we've experienced in our lives together over the last 27 years have actually proved that I was right all along...I really did not deserve a son like you Trevor, but for the completely opposite reason...
In elementary school, you were teased relentlessly until you finally had enough and yelled at your offender, "My daddy loves me! F*** you!" and flipped him off. The school was going to suspend you for screaming profanity and making an obscene gesture until I intervened and told them there would be severe consequences for you later. I hope you remember we both got three scoops of ice cream on the way home, and that was that.
In middle school, we found out that your para-educator was videotaping you singing Christian songs on the school bus. She wanted to humiliate you into stopping by showing everyone how "ridiculous" you looked & sounded, but you kept on singing anyway. Since then you've added clapping and dancing to your worship routine, and you continue to inspire parishioners to tears at our church on Sunday mornings.
At the start of high school, you were bullied, called the 'r' word, and told you were worthless. And yet by your senior year you'd turned the whole school around to the point where the faculty drafted you onto the homecoming court, and then your classmates elected you homecoming king in the greatest landslide in school history--you received more votes than the other four candidates combined.
After graduating, you were told that the best job you could ever hope for would be folding towels in the basement of a hotel laundromat. Nevertheless, in 2012 you were hired by MLB's LA Angels, and then in 2013 by the NHL's Anaheim Ducks, to be the Greeter in their respective Team Stores. Over the years, you've become known, admired, and often loved by hundreds of thousands of sports fans, fellow employees, professional athletes and team executives.
Trevor, you and I both know how often over the last 27 years I've fallen painfully short while trying to be the father YOU deserved. I'll be forever grateful that, despite all the mistakes I've made, you still find reasons, as undeserved as they may be, to tearfully tell me, "You my hero daddy." If nothing else on your birthday, I just want you to know how much I love you with all of my heart, and that with the whole earth as my witness, I would not have traded you, or the impact you've had on my life (and on the lives of your mom, brothers, friends and countless others) for anything or with anyone in the world. That is why I can also finally say that while I still would not consider myself to have been the best choice to be your father, no way, and yet but by the grace of God, the love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, I do consider myself, as Trevor's Dad, most richly blessed!
Happy Birthday Trevor!
Love,
Dad
If you have time, I wanted to share what my mom shared on social media. It's so perfect!
"March 21 is World Syndrome Day and found this article that perfectly describes how I feel about my Granddaughter, I added some of my own thoughts on this. I love my granddaughter Bella Mia so much.♥️
Bella Mia was born with ten fingers, ten toes, and Down syndrome. I’ve never been one to think that “Life is not fair” or have a pity party, but when she was born I was confused about the unknown: Why did this happen? How do we help? What is her future? What about my daughter?
Bella is a reminder that blessings can come in small, unpredictable packages that may not look like or learn as quickly as others. She is a radiant example of abundant and unconditional love in a world too focused on perfect images and shallow affection.
Our whole family is now convinced that this adorable child full of funny faces, squawking noises, and death-grip hugs has much to teach us about love and life. And she answers my worried questions: It happened because an extra chromosome appeared in the early stages of fetal development.
We can help by loving her and offering to help her parents. Her future is better than if she had been born fifty years ago and institutionalized. Can you imagine how sad that was back in the day?
Uneducated and insecure people reveal their prejudices when they ridicule someone with learning and physical disabilities such as Down syndrome. When I’m with Bella Mia sometimes I get “the look” from others or the recognizable sigh of “I’m thankful that didn’t happen to me.” Thanks to Bella Mia I have learned that ignorance and cruelty are bigger handicaps than a little extra chromosome.
I love ️you Bella Mía! @alittlextra21"