Raising Wesley Supports the Down syndrome Association of Middle TN!
Comfort Colors 100% Cotton T-shirt
- Sizes YS - XXXXL
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About this campaign
The Down syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee holds an annual walk to raise money to help support families with loved ones with Down syndrome in Middle Tennessee. We sell Raising Wesley shirts every year in an attempt to help this cause. All money raised through our fundraisers always goes directly to the Down syndrome Association of Middle TN, otherwise known as DSAMT.
The DSAMT is the largest organization in Middle Tennessee that supports families and individuals with Down syndrome. The DSAMT is known for advocating for us on a legislative level, educating healthcare providers and educators on how to best support our extra special loved ones, linking families together to facilitate support systems, providing programs to support developmental achievements, and helping businesses to understand the importance of diversity and inclusion in their hiring process as it relates to those with Down syndrome.
(Extra Mile 2025)
Wesley received a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome through genetic testing and was confirmed through an amniocentesis when I was 20 weeks pregnant. Wesley was born at 30 weeks and 6 days via emergency c-section related to complications from fetal hydrops and reverse umbilical cord flow. Wesley spent 76 days in the NICU at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital in Nashville, TN. His survival was nothing short of a miracle. When Wesley came home, he had several medical diagnoses that followed him including pulmonary hypertension, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, silent aspiration, and an atrial septal heart defect. Wesley was on oxygen for two and a half years, has gone through multiple surgeries and procedures to include multiple chest tubes at birth, open heart surgery at 18 months, airway evaluations, sleep studies, and g-tube placement and removal.
Today, Wesley is 9 years old. He is a happy, healthy boy who loves to giggle, sing, ride his jeep, swing on his disc swing, and watch videos on his iPad. Wesley is nonverbal and non ambulatory - our hope is for both to improve over the years. Wesley is a typically annoyed big brother to Zachary, Meredith, and Gwen. Wesley also has a secondary diagnosis of Autism which is very common in individuals with Down syndrome.
Many of you have followed our journey through social media for years and have witnessed our rollercoaster of a life right on the other side of your screen. You have supported us and prayed hard for Wesley. These days, you celebrate all of Wesley's accomplishments right along with us. Many of you feel like he is just as much yours as he is ours. We hope you know how much we appreciate your love. You have given us an outlet to share our story, to be brutally honest about our feelings, and you always make us feel like we are doing our very best in raising this beautiful child God has blessed us with. Thank you for always loving and supporting our boy!
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