A father's deepest concern for his daughter with Down syndrome

Zhu Qinghe with her six-year-old daughter. [Photo/wtoutiao.com]

"All parents love their children, so am I. As father of a child with Down syndrome, I simply care more about my daughter’s future and I wish I can live a longer life than hers so I can always be there to look after her", said Zhu Qinghe, a resident in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, with emotional voice.

His daughter was born on June 17, 2009. Both Zhu and his wife were surprised to find out that their baby was born with slanted eyes and a nasal bridge. The baby was later diagnosed with Down syndrome.

"Down syndrome is a genetic condition in which a person has 47 chromosomes instead of the usual 46. Children born with the condition have many health problems. We were so sad to know that our daughter would have a much shorter life span than others, and we named her 'Yuxi', which means 'cherishing life'," the father said.

The facial appearance of a person with Down syndrome and mental effects it imposes caused many problems for Yuxi’s socialization with others.

"Once our four-year-old daughter wanted to play with another child as we strolled along the Xuanwu Lake, but the child refused and said 'Why does she look like a monster?'" Zhu recalled.

"Children with Down syndrome are difficult to make friends. It's really complicated for us to bear the fact that some parents urge their children to stay away from Yuxi," the father expressed his helpless feelings.

"Yuxi is older than her classmates in the kindergarten, due to her poor language skills. She may suddenly try to grab some toys from her classmates rudely, which may cause some misunderstanding on the part of other parents."

As a caring father, Zhu showed his deepest concern for the future of her daughter and called for more kindness to be shown to children with Down syndrome in the society.

"It's comprehensible but difficult to go through such moments. I do hope other parents and the society can show more kindness to children with Down syndrome," he urged.