Famous YouTuber Jesse Ridgway is currently dominating the headlines for his personal life. For the uninitiated, Jesse’s wife, Ashley, terminated her pregnancy because the fetus had a 95 percent chance of being born with Down syndrome. Recently, she took to her Instagram Stories and mentioned that Down syndrome is “not a blessing.” However, this comment did not sit well with the executive director of the National Down Syndrome Society, Kandi Pickard, who has now reacted strongly.
Kandi Pickard strongly disagrees with Jesse Ridgway and says Down syndrome is not a blessing
In a recent interview with People, Kandi Pickard, executive director of the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), reacted strongly when popular YouTuber Jesse Ridway said that Down syndrome was not a blessing. She explained that as the mother of her 14-year-old son Mason, who has Down syndrome, she disagrees with Jesse. According to Kandi, statistics say that people with Down syndrome and their families are happy with their lives and like who they are. Kandi acknowledged that the diagnosis can be scary for parents and mentioned that it is important for families to “have the right and accurate information to make their own decisions.” In his words:
“When Jesse says that Down syndrome is not a blessing, as a parent, I strongly disagree. There are statistics here from people with Down syndrome and also their families that indicate that 99% of people with Down syndrome are happy with their lives and like who they are. 99% of families say they love their children and are proud of them. I think that is valuable information to understand.”
What did Jesse Ridgway say about Down syndrome?
Jesse Ridgway shared a series of Instagram Stories and then shared the same message on his X account (formerly Twitter). He announced that this week he and his wife, Ashley, had to make the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome. He mentioned that 50 percent of babies with Down syndrome have heart defects and 75 percent have hearing problems. He added that Down syndrome is not a blessing. He wrote:
“50% of babies with Down syndrome have heart defects. 75% will have hearing problems. More than 50% will have vision problems. Impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, delayed physical development, poor muscle tone, structural problems in the face, decreased life expectancy, etc. Unfortunately, the list is long; feel free to look it up. Down syndrome is not a “blessing”; it is objectively shit from a health perspective. child, let alone family… most of the time, they would be completely dependent on others for the rest of their lives.
Jesse highlighted that the risk of miscarriage is also 50 percent, and this will put Ashley at greater risk. The YouTuber mentioned that after consulting with doctors and loved ones, he discovered that up to 90 percent of women terminate their pregnancy after learning that the baby has Down syndrome. He added that they made this difficult decision and believe that it will be beneficial for their family in the long run. He wrote:
“The risk of miscarriage is also close to 50%, which made things worse… they may never see the light of day, and that puts Ashley even more at risk. We talked to doctors, friends, family, and genetic counselors and learned that up to 90% of women end their pregnancy after finding out the baby has trisomy 21. This was MUCH higher than I expected. I thought it would be lower, since I heard so many say they stayed or they would keep the baby. As for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe will be beneficial for our family in the long run.”
What do you think of Kandi Pickard’s reaction? Let us know.
Also read: Kanye West and his wife, Bianca Censori, looked happier while enjoying dinner in Amsterdam
