Dante needed constant medical follow-up. Babies with Down syndrome have a significantly higher risk of heart problems, respiratory issues, and hearing problems. They need intense physical therapy from a young age to build muscle strength, speech therapy to help with talking, and occupational therapy to stimulate cognitive development.
All of that cost money. Money I did not have.
I started selling things from the house just to buy diapers and pay the heating bill. First went the jewelry Marcus had given me while we were dating and married. Then went the high-end electronics, the expensive living room furniture, even designer clothes I had never worn. Every dollar counted. Every cent was critical to ensure my son lacked nothing.
The divorce was fast, cruel, and humiliating. Marcus hired a shark of a lawyer who did everything in his power to prove I was a negligent mother, that I had intentionally hidden information about the baby’s health during the pregnancy, that I was trying to extort him for a “genetic mistake.” I didn’t have the money to pay for a lawyer just as vicious. I was drowning.
I accepted the pitiful deal they offered. I kept the house for two years, but then I had to sell it and split the profit with him. There was no child support. His lawyer successfully argued that since Dante wasn’t “capable of utilizing the money in a productive way for his future,” child support was unnecessary. The judge, unfortunately, bought the heartbreaking story.
