CEO Of NDSS, Kandi Pickard Strongly Reacts To Jesse Ridgway Calling Down Syndrome ‘Not A Blessing’

Famous YouTuber, Jesse Ridgway is currently dominating the headlines for his personal life. For the unversed, Jesse’s wife, Ashley, terminated her pregnancy as their unborn child had a 95 per cent chance of being born with Down syndrome. Recently, he took to his Instagram Stories and mentioned that Down syndrome ‘is not a blessing’. However, this comment didn’t sit well with the CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society, Kandi Pickard, who has now strongly reacted to it.

Kandi Pickard strongly disagrees with Jesse Ridgway, calling Down syndrome not a blessing

In a recent interview with People, Kandi Pickard, the CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), strongly reacted to popular YouTuber, Jesse Ridway calling Down syndrome not a blessing. She explained that, being a mom to her 14-year-old son, Mason, who has Down syndrome, she totally disagrees with Jesse. According to Kandi, statistics say that people who have Down syndrome and their families are happy with their lives, and they like who they are. Acknowledging that the diagnosis can be scary for parents, Kandi mentioned that it’s important that families “have the correct and accurate information to make their own decisions.” In her words:

“When Jesse says that Down syndrome isn’t a blessing, as a parent, I vehemently disagree. There’s statistics out here from individuals with Down syndrome and also from their families that 99% of people with Down syndrome are happy with their lives and they like who they are. 99% of families say that they love their children and they’re proud of them. I think that this is valuable information to understand.”

What did Jesse Ridgway say about Down syndrome?

Jesse Ridgway shared a series of Instagram Stories and later shared the same message on his X (formerly Twitter) handle. 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 per cent of babies with Down syndrome have heart defects and 75 per cent have hearing challenges. He added that Down syndrome is not a blessing. He wrote:

“50% of babies with DS have heart defects. 75% will have hearing challenges. Over 50% will have vision problems. Impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, delayed physical development, poor muscle tone, structural issues with face, decreased lifespan, etc. Sadly, the list is long; feel free to look it up. Down Syndome isn’t a “blessing”; it is objectively shitty from a health perspective. I didn’t realise just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family…more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.”

Jesse highlighted that the miscarriage risk is also 50 per cent, and this will put Ashley at further risk. The YouTuber mentioned that after consulting with doctors and near and dear ones, he came to know that up to 90 per cent of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has Down syndrome. He added that they made this difficult decision and believe that in the long-run will be beneficial to their family. He wrote:

“The miscarriage risk is also close to 50%, which made matters worse…they may never see the light of day, and it puts Ashley further at risk. We spoke with doctors, friends, family and genetic counsellors and learned that up to 90% of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has Trisomy 21. This was WAY higher than I expected. I thought it would be lower, given that I hear so many say they kept or would keep the baby. As for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family. Thankfully, we had a choice.”

What are your thoughts on Kandi Pickard’s reaction? Let us know.

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Pic credit: NDSS, Jesse Ridgway/IG