NORTHEAST OHIO — In June 2020, Bryan and Michelle Miller’s lives forever changed. The couple found out they were expecting their first child. A few weeks into pregnancy, they were told there was a high chance that their baby would be born with Down syndrome.
“We had a doctor come in and say, you know, there’s a possibility she could have Down syndrome and we were like what? We don’t have any of that in their family,” Michelle Miller said.
According to the CDC, one in 700 babies are born with Down syndrome each year. This year, Ava Marie Miller was one of them.
“She was born on World Down Syndrome day, 3-21-21. We had no idea what that, you know, that was even the thing,” she said.
And for the Millers, every day since has been brighter and better.
Of course, they experience challenges that any new parents face. They credit their daughter for helping them find community. Soon after her birth, they connected with the Down Syndrome Association of Northeast Ohio, an organization with a mission to provide support, education and advocacy for individuals with Down syndrome and their families.
“There (are) some people in the organization that have kids that are 25 years old, 30 years old, all the way down to there’s a ton of new families coming in. I just met a couple new guys a couple weeks ago. They have kids the same age as Ava,” Bryan Miller said.
The Millers say meetups with other families with similar experiences and weekly check-ins from the organization’s new family coordinator are what has helped them feel even more prepared for the precious years ahead with Ava.
“This new family, I mean, it’s above and beyond what I ever could imagine,” Michelle Miller said.
