Emily was born with Downs Syndrome, but that didn’t make her less valuable as a human being. It made her more valuable. She had none of the malice of other children. She was special to her family and all that knew her. Even though she was not strong, she was brave. Especially when her family discovered she had leukemia. She bravely tolerated the chemotherapy, even though she did not understand the what was happening to her. Her illness was in remission for a short time but then returned and there was nothing any doctor could do for her. She died in her family’s loving arms. To her father and mother she was a gift from heaven that God shared with them for a short time.
Matthew Patterson shared this beautiful story about his eldest daughter who did not beat the odds when it came to Down Syndrome. He did an excellent job sharing the dignity of this young life which ended before Emily was old enough to enter kindergarten. I enjoyed this beautifully written memoir of a father who deeply loved his daughter.
