That Sarah Palin

Wonderful article about her and her son Trig:

Sarah Palin has opened up in an honest and personal account of the joys and challenges of raising a son with Down's Syndrome. 

When she first found out she was expecting Trig, 3, Palin, 47, has admits that she was terrified by the possibility of having a child with special needs. 

'When I discovered early in my pregnancy that my baby would be born with an extra chromosome, the diagnosis of Down syndrome frightened me so much that I dared not discuss my pregnancy for many months. 

'All I could seem to muster was a calling out to God to prepare my heart for what was ahead,' she says in the article to be published in Newseek. 

'My prayers were answered beyond my shallow understanding of what true joy could be.'

The former Alaska governor offered her touching account in Newseek after GOP candidate Rick Santorum briefly abandoned his campaign trail when his three-year-old daughter Bella,Trisomy 18, was hospitalised with pneumonia last week.

Palin said; 'It’s a sacrifice every parent and caregiver of a child with special needs sympathises with.' 

'Yes, we face extra fears and challenges, but our children are a blessing, and the rest of the world is missing out in not knowing this.'

In article for Newsweek, Palin, pictured here with Trig in 2009, admits that she was terrified at the prospect of having a child with special needs when she first found out she was pregnant

The mother-of-five said she herself has had to make sacrifices by putting her family first, but has never regretted it despite having to place some pursuits on the back burner.

In the Newsweek article, she lays bare the difficulties of raising a child with special needs, admitting that it is a 'unique challenge'.

She acknowledges the constant fear about Trig's future because of health and social challenges. 

'Certainly some days are much more difficult than if I had a 'normal' child. 

'Many everyday activities like doctor’s appointments and social gatherings
and travel accommodations and even mealtimes and a solid night of sleep are that much more difficult.'

But despite the difficulties Palin said she would not change her son for the world.

'At the end of the day I wouldn’t trade the relative difficulties for any convenience or absence of fear. God knew what he was doing when he blessed us with Trig. 

'We went from fear of the unknown to proudly displaying a bumper sticker sent to us that reads: “My kid has more chromosomes than your kid!'

Mother-of-five Sarah Palin, pictured here (2nd L) holding Trig as she stands with her daughters Willow (L), Piper (R) and her husband Todd, has opened up in a Newsweek article

Everyday Trig wakes up with a round of applause, Palin says in the article.

'He welcomes each day with thunderous applause and laughter. He looks around at creation and claps as if to say, 'OK, world, what do you have for me today?'