PARENTS OF TWINS WITH DOWN SYNDROME SHARE A POWERFUL MESSAGE: “THERE IS NOTHING TO HIDE, APOLOGIZE FOR, OR FEEL SORRY ABOUT.”
After experiencing a miscarriage, Jodi and Matt Parry were overjoyed when they discovered they were expecting twins in 2010.
They already had a young son, Finlay, and had dreamed of expanding their family. Finding out they were having twins felt like an extraordinary gift.
Their identical daughters, Abigail and Isobel, arrived six weeks earlier than expected and were immediately taken to the neonatal intensive care unit.
For the next three weeks, their parents lived with constant uncertainty. Then doctors raised a possibility Jodi and Matt had never seriously considered.
The twins might have Down syndrome. Tests were ordered. When the results came back, Jodi and Matt were taken into a private room. The doctor sat down and delivered the news gently.
“I’m sorry. Abigail and Isobel both have Down syndrome.” For Jodi, the words were overwhelming.
She later described feeling as though her entire world had suddenly collapsed.
She and Matt realized how little they actually knew about Down syndrome, and fear quickly filled the space where certainty had been.
But when Jodi returned to the hospital room and saw her two sleeping daughters, something inside her changed.
Her love for them hadn’t disappeared. If anything, it felt stronger. She simply had hundreds of questions.
What would their lives look like? What medical challenges might they face? Would they be healthy? Would they be happy?
Jodi began researching everything she could find.
Instead of reassuring her, much of what she encountered focused on possible complications associated with Down syndrome—heart conditions, hearing difficulties, thyroid problems, and many other medical concerns.
She decided the family needed answers rather than assumptions. Jodi and Matt asked doctors to conduct comprehensive testing.
The results revealed that Isobel had a small hole in her heart, while Abigail was deaf. Both girls also had an underactive thyroid.
It was a lot for any parent to process. But once the twins were healthy enough to leave the hospital, something surprising happened.
Life gradually became… normal. There were medical appointments, treatments, and occasional challenges. But there was also laughter. There were cuddles.
There were milestones. There were two little girls growing up surrounded by love. And Jodi began noticing something that bothered her.
Whenever people talked about Down syndrome, the conversation often centered on what children might struggle with.
Very little attention was given to what they could achieve, how much joy they could bring to a family, or how many different ways their lives could unfold.
Jodi and Matt wanted to change that. So they created Twincess.
What began as a response to their own experience grew into a community designed to support families who were preparing to welcome a child with Down syndrome or were already raising one.
For many parents, receiving the diagnosis can feel incredibly isolating.
Jodi remembered wishing someone could have spoken to her during those first frightening days—not as a doctor, but as another parent who had already walked the road ahead.
That became the heart of Twincess.
The community gives families an opportunity to connect, exchange practical advice, share experiences, and remind one another that they aren’t alone.
The organization also holds fundraising and awareness events, from talent shows and formal gatherings to sporting events, helping families while encouraging a more positive understanding of Down syndrome.
The message behind it all is simple: See the person before the diagnosis.
Down syndrome is a genetic condition, not something that should define someone’s entire identity.
Abigail and Isobel aren’t simply “children with Down syndrome.”
They are two individuals with their own personalities, interests, strengths, challenges, dreams, and futures.
And their parents want other families to see what they eventually discovered themselves:
A diagnosis may change the path you imagined. But it doesn’t take away the possibility of a beautiful life.
Instead of focusing only on the “Down,”
Twincess encourages people to recognize the ups—the relationships, achievements, laughter, love, and moments that can easily be overlooked when society focuses only on limitations.
Jodi and Matt’s journey began with fear and uncertainty.
It became a mission to make sure other parents don’t have to face that first diagnosis feeling completely alone.
