film producer and popular YouTuber Jesse Ridgway revealed on the X website that he and his wife Ashley had to terminate their pregnancy with a heavy heart. He explained that they made the decision after learning about their situation. unborn child will have Down syndrome.
“This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate a pregnancy with trisomy 21,” Ridgway write on X. “This choice was not made lightly. We are so grateful for all of the personal stories you have shared with us, especially the unconditional support we have received from our fans no matter what decision we make.”
Ridway acknowledged that some people may be “disappointed” by the update.
“We are devastated. This is extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley,” he wrote. “She had surgery earlier this week and is recovering. Thankfully, everything went well, but emotionally we are exhausted.”
21 Trisomy is also known as down syndrome. This occurs when the developing fetus has an extra third copy of chromosome 21 in its cells instead of the usual pair. This extra genetic material alters typical development, such as specific physical characteristics, medical challenges, and intellectual disabilities.
“When I first read the news, I was shocked but optimistic. If they are a little slow mentally, then we’ll make it work. I signed on to be a parent, no matter what…but I just don’t fully understand what Down syndrome means,” Ridgeway wrote.
He went on to explain that Down syndrome is different from autism, adding, “50 percent of babies with Down syndrome have heart defects. 75 percent of babies will have hearing impairment. More than 50 percent of babies will have vision problems. Impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, physical delays, poor muscle tone, facial structure problems, shortened lifespan, etc… Unfortunately, the list is long, feel free to look it up… Down syndrome is not a ‘blessing’, it’s objectively speaking from a health perspective.”
He added, “I didn’t realize how hard it was on the child, let alone the family… They tend to be completely dependent on others for the rest of their lives. The risk of miscarriage is also close to 50 percent, which makes it even worse… They may never see the light of day, which puts Ashley at even greater risk.”
Ridgeway added that he believed the decision, while difficult, would be “good for our family in the long run.”
“Thankfully, we have options,” he added.
Ridgway further wrote: “It will take a little time to move on, but we are excited to try again in the future and hope for better results.”
It's not often that a handful of yellowish fragments lying quietly in the desert end up plunging scientists back into…
PC: YouTube (SLAC from the Sky - Extended Edition) On a patch of land in California that at first glance…
Deep divisions have emerged within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, with a group of lawmakers expressing displeasure…
A dual U.S.-Iranian citizen and CEO of a Tehran technology company has been arrested in the U.S. on charges stemming…
President of the United States Donald Trump Talks with Iran are progressing "very well" and Tehran has agreed to allow…
The House on Wednesday approved a war powers resolution aimed at halting military operations in Syria Irana move that goes…