We were told that Jack had Down Syndrome 20 minutes after he was born, it was an unbelievable thing to comprehend.  I had all my tests, how could this happen in this day and age of technology.

I didn't want to look at him or hold him for three days, all I did was cry, I thought my world had ended.

My family came in to look after him in the hospital.

I had always said when I was younger, if I ever had a child with any disability I would/could never keep it.

So I had that thought in my head for the first three days.  I couldn't name him because if I gave him a name, that would mean he was mine.

After the third day, Mario and I cried and cried and cried some more.  I said what do we do.  He said "He's ours, there's only one thing to do".

So we took him home, called him Jack and started our life together and I promised I would never cry because of him again, I would cry for him, but never because of him.

Jack lived his life as a happy and healthy boy, with his sister Bonnie (7) and his brother Lucas (5).

There was nothing Jack couldn't do, it just took him a bit longer to get there.  He learnt sign language, he could keep up with the other kids at play, he spoke well, not a lot of words but what he said was so clear.  He rode horses, motorbikes and even a camel.

He would point at trucks going past and think it was Daddy driving, he even knew what McDonalds was.

We unexpectedly lost our Jack on the 13th of October 2007, he was almost 4.

He passed away in his sleep, there were no signs that he was seriously unwell.

He was a bit sooky, he was teething.  Nothing we hadn't seen with before with any of our kids.

We gave him Panadol and popped him into bed.  We found him at 6 in the morning, already gone to heaven.

We blame ourselves everyday.  We say there must have been something we missed, although we know there wasn't.

He was the most loving person I have ever met.  He would just start at me and hold my face.  He would climb into our bed and just hold his dads hand.  He was the first to greet someone at the door with a huge hug, no matter who it was.

Jack kept life simple, he didn't care if you were rich or poor, he didn't care what car you drove, his love for everyone was unconditional and everyone who met Jack took a part of him with them.

He taught everyone something special.

He taught me more patience, kindness and that being different isn't the end of the world, just a new and exciting one.

But most of all, he taught us that family was everything.

We will never forget the life lessons Jack has taught us and we are so grateful that we had him in our lives, even if it was for just a short time.  We miss him so much and I sometimes feel the best part of me went with him, but I will do my best to continue teaching others what Jack taught me.

We hope this little insight on Jack can make others reflect on their own lives and remember the importance of family.

Make time to spend with your loved ones, as who knows how long we have.

Don't cry when it's too late.  Don't send flowers when it's too late.  Don't love with it's too late.

There is not a day that goes by that we don't think of Jack.

But to keep his memory strong in our hearts, all horses born here at 'Dry Creek' will be dedicated to our little boy.

So when you see a horse with Jack in it's name, smile at knowing how much love this special boy bought into this world.

Thank you to everyone who sent cards and well wishes, it is comforting to know that we have so many friends.

Kim and Mario. 

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