Special Reports

Mandi, Tennessee

Let me tell you a bit about myself. I'm 25, and I was born with Turner Syndrome. Its a growth disorder that sometimes can carry with it different medical issuses as well. Heart and kidney problems tend to be fairly common. Thanks to God, I don't suffer from any health problems and my only side effect is being short.

As a kid I was very active and loved meeting people, so as soon as I was diagnosed with Turner Syndrome my parents thought it would be fun to go to some Turner Syndrome support group meetings and meet some other girls with Turner Syndrome. When I went to the yearly meeting I had a great time meeting all the girls and going to all the different activities; after all, I had spent a lot of money to go to this confrence and I had never been to this part of the country before, so I was livin' it up!

That is, until I attended the "research meeting" where the different endocryologists talked about their experiences and new findings. In front of a group of young ladies with Turner Syndrome, the keynote speaker very casually said that for mothers with embryos found to have Turner Syndrome, the standard practice for doctors is to suggest "termination of the prenancy." I couldn't believe what I was hearing! I looked around and the outrage I was expecting to see was replaced by a sea of blank faces! It was as if I was the only one who had heard that! Apparently we have become so jaded that we can't even recognize when we are being told what our human worth is!

Needless to say, I marched myself up to that young doctor (who was wearing extremely thick glasses and carrying a cane! ) and gave him a piece of my mind! I may not have changed the world, but because I was given the opportunity to live I had the chance to make a difference in his life. My mother told me that when she found out she was pregnant the doctor immediately discussed the possibility of abortion for an "abnormal child." Thankfully my mom had the foresight to think how the medical technology was new at the time, and that the doctor could have actually been wrong. It's a good thing she doesn't belive everything she hears, because I wasn't born with any of the symptoms that "will keep your daughter from leading a productive life" . . . I am fully healthy and have an extremely full and exciting life thanks to, well, parents that think.