New Jersey moms write book about the journey parents face with children with special needs
SHORT HILLS, N.J. -- Stories of hope are being shared from one mom to another in a new book about the journey of becoming a parent to a child with special needs.
Two New Jersey moms says when they received their children's diagnoses, the experience was lonely and cold.
They told CBS2 on Thursday they hope new moms are met with more compassion.
Short Hills residents Jess Quarello and her husband had no idea their daughter, Adeline, had Down syndrome until after she was born.
"My husband went over to meet her and out of nowhere the nutrition oncologist says, 'Your daughter has Down syndrome. Look at her neck folds,'" Quarello said.
Blood tests a few days later confirmed Adeline, now almost 3 years old, had Down syndrome.
For Taryn Lagonigro of Caldwell, she learned about her daughter, Rhea, being diagnosed with Down syndrome 13 weeks into her pregnancy.
"It was a lonely journey. It was a very heavy journey," Lagonigro said. "At the time, didn't know anybody who had a child with Down syndrome."
She said some doctors even told her what to do with the pregnancy, adding she received clinical handouts, but no compassion.
So in April, Lagonigro and Quarello published "Dear Mama: Stories of an Extra Lucky Life."
"Every letter starts 'Dear Mama,' and the moms walk through their story, sort of the time the journey of the coming to acceptance of their child's diagnosis," Lagonigro said.
The book has 28 letters from people who have had experience with more than a dozen different disabilities.
"So we have autism spectrum disorder represented, rare diseases like Jordan Syndrome," Quarello said.
The two also have a blog "Extra Lucky Moms" that supports special needs parents globally.
"I was worried about everything. There was not one thing Adeline's existence and diagnosis didn't touch. But as I fell in love with her and got to know her and saw how capable she is and how much she provides to this world, the more I realized my life is just getting started," Quarello said. "My friendships are different. Relationships are different. Marriage is different. It's a more beautiful life because she's a part of it."
Their dream is for doctors to hand this book out when they deliver a diagnosis so that parents feel validated during whatever emotion they encounter on their journey.
For more information on Quarello and Lagonigro's stories, please click here.