Jake Burger, a third baseman for the Miami Marlins, has set a lot of records. But one he never saw coming was being the only active member of Major League Baseball (MLB) to have a child with Down syndrome.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Jake and his wife, Ashlyn, spoke about learning their baby girl would have Down syndrome, and how life has been since she was born. Ashlyn also wrote about the experience on Instagram, saying they learned about the diagnosis in April, while Ashlyn was still pregnant.
“Down Syndrome. Two words that changed everything,” she wrote. “On April 15, I looked at Jake and said, ‘we’re having a little girl, and she’s going to have Down syndrome.’ Jake stared at me as he said ‘okay, and?’ Penelope’s diagnosis is exactly that, okay, and?”
The couple said they never grieved the news of Penelope’s diagnosis; their fears were how she would be treated by the rest of the world — but know that ultimately, her life is a blessing, even if it’s hard.
View this post on Instagram
“Life isn’t meant to be easy, it’s meant to be fulfilling and this is God’s way of doing just that,” Jake said. “Grieving for us was not about her diagnosis, it was about how we felt that having Down syndrome shouldn’t limit anyone’s capabilities in life. What seems as an insurmountable obstacle usually becomes one of the biggest blessings, but it’s hard to see that amidst all the ‘differents,’ how she navigates the world will be different, how she looks will be different, how her needs will be different, how we help her become the best version of herself will be different, how she makes friends will be different, all those little things you usually don’t think twice about.”
READ: She spent her teen years raising her sister with Down syndrome, and has no regrets
The couple added that “God blessed us with her so that we could help others see Down syndrome the same way.”
While the Burgers didn’t share the details of how they received the diagnosis, it’s sadly common for parents to be told in a negative way. One survey, for example, found that doctors have been caught giving outdated, inaccurate information about disabilities, sometimes in a direct attempt to pressure parents into abortion. A campaign from the Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network also showed the common cruelty parents experience, as babies with Down syndrome were referred to as an “it” or a “vegetable,” or with doctors saying they would be better off dead. Yet people like Penelope have rich and fulfilling lives that bring joy to others around them, and they are certainly not better off dead.
Now, the Burgers want to help other Down syndrome families, too.
“Her diagnosis is not what defines her or her life, it’s what makes her who she is, and we wouldn’t want her any other way,” Ashlyn wrote. “God chose us to be her parents and every day since news of her diagnosis we’ve been thanking him for this extra special gift. We are the lucky ones and now we get to dedicate our lives to helping others feel the same way when god blesses them with the same gift. With Jake being the only active MLB player with a child with Down syndrome we knew God was giving us a some really special work to do.”
Call on President Trump to pardon the FACE Act prisoners on his first day in office.
