October 7, 2017
Dear Friend of the Jerome Lejeune Foundation,
October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
During October, we applaud caregivers, families, and medical professionals — but most of all, we applaud all the wonderful people with Down syndrome. The Jerome Lejeune Foundation is focused 100% on providing people with Down syndrome with the best medical care, consultation, and support possible.
I would like to share two excerpts from the formal White House statement announcing October as Down Syndrome Awareness Month:
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“The Americans with Down syndrome truly embody the great spirit of our Nation. They inspire joy, kindness, and wonder in our families, our workplaces, and our communities.” And it goes on to say…. “We also salute the family members, caregivers, medical professionals, and advocates who have dedicated themselves to ensuring that these extraordinary people enjoy lives filled with love and increasing opportunity. As a result of these remarkable efforts, people with Down syndrome are living longer, more enriching lives than ever before.” |
This formal statement from The White House is a profound and meaningful affirmation of the work of the Jerome Lejeune Foundation, the work of families that care for children and adults with Down syndrome, the medical professionals that focus on people with intellectual disabilities from genetic origin, and most importantly, the infants, children, and adults with Down syndrome.
Unfortunately, people with Down syndrome are grossly underserved by the medical community. The babies with Down syndrome that are carried to term receive marginal care throughout their lives that barely meets their needs or unique circumstances. In my opinion, much of the modern medical profession in the US is untrained and inexperienced with serving people with Down syndrome. For the few medical professionals in the US who strive to provide the needed care, we praise them and we want to support them further.
The Jerome Lejeune Foundation is changing that.
We are launching a holistic consultation in the US that will provide people with Down syndrome, and their families with unparalleled access to dedicated doctors and medical staff. This dedicated staff has been specially trained by the same top medical professionals who conducted ground-breaking research, and have compassionately served people with Down syndrome for more than fifty years at the Jerome Lejeune Institute in France.
This level of experience and knowledge is unprecedented here in the US.
During the month of October, a delegation of experts from the Jerome Lejeune Institute in France will be visiting the US to finalize the plans for launching this holistic consultation, right here in the US. This delegation will include two doctors plus the managing director of the medical center in Paris. Additionally, Madame Jerome Lejeune will join them, and will be giving a series of presentations to support this exciting expansion into the US.
Your gift will go directly to funding the hospital, its staff, and all the children and adults with Down syndrome the hospital will serve. The hospital will strive to never turn away someone that cannot pay. Our mission is to serve anyone, regardless of their financial situation – but this is only possible through your donations.
A gift of $50, $100, or even $250 will help establish the hospital and ensure that we have the funds needed to serve everyone. Thank you for your generosity.
Warmest regards,
P.S. — Every gift counts, regardless of size. Please consider participating in this exciting project and supporting our efforts to provide incredible medical care to people of all ages with Down syndrome.
