Two women with Down syndrome turned 75 last month, one in the United States, the other in the United Kingdom. They are reportedly the oldest women living with the condition.
In 1941, when they were born, doctors said the babies would be lucky to make it to age 25. Not only did they far surpass longevity expectations, but they also surpassed quality of life expectations. They lived meaningful, vibrant lives, despite predictions to the contrary, like so many others with Down syndrome.
Despite the fact that many people with Down syndrome are living rich, full lives, more than 80 percent of women who learn they are pregnant with a child with the chromosomal disorder choose to abort it.
Watch my story on the blessings of Down syndrome children:
Dollie Grissom (pictured above with her sister Marilyn), born with Down Syndrome 75 years ago in rural Oklahoma, was the second of nine siblings. She helped raise her younger brothers and sisters, and even went on to take care of her nephew. She also helped carry the load on the family farm, where they grew tomatoes and watermelons.
Now she lives at the Chickasha Nursing Center. Her sister, Marilyn Crossen, who visits her regularly said, "I'll do it for another 10 years if she'll stay."
Crossen regularly brings her sister's favorite lunch: chicken and a shake from Braum's, a nearby restaurant.
Frances Gillett, born in 75 years ago in England, lived with her family in Soham for most of her life and like Dollie, tended the garden. Since then she's beaten tuberculosis and breast cancer. She now lives in a residential home in Ely, Cambridgeshire.
"Frances is really and truly amazing, and over the years she has become more than a resident, she is like family," Wayne Bent, a co-owner of her care home, told The Daily Mail.
"Years ago there was zero expectancy for someone with Down syndrome to live such a long life, so for her to celebrate her 75th birthday is wonderful," he continued. "She used to love needlework, although her eyes are not so good now, and she loves music."
Cherry Jensen, of Norfolk, Virginia, gave birth to a Down syndrome child, Jenny, in 1980. At that time the doctors told her to expect the worst and advised her to institutionalize her baby. Cherry wouldn't do it.
"Medicine is not an exact science, which we all know," Cherry pointed out. "And no one can predict the potential of a child."
As it turns out, Jenny far exceeded expectations. She's extremely high-functioning, doing things like volunteering at the YMCA and a local hospital, and giving her life to Jesus Christ.
"I do believe that God is using me in so many ways," she says.
Jenny's example even saved the life of another Down syndrome child, Abby. When her mother, Denise, was pregnant with Abby and learned she was carrying a baby with Down Syndrome, she decided to get an abortion.
Today a simple blood test in the early stages of pregnancy can reveal whether the unborn child has Down syndrome, a genetic condition in which a person has an extra chromosome and, as a result, has some mental and physical disabilities.
However, just before Denise followed-through with the abortion, she met Jenny, who has proven that people with Down syndrome have lives worth living. So Denise kept her child...and is so glad she did.
"My daughter is so beautiful!" she exclaimed. "She was born with no heart problems, no kidney problems, no leukemia; she's more advanced than what I ever thought she would be. God gives life. It's not your decision to take it."