When Mara was 6-weeks-old, I was interviewed on Despierta America (the #1 morning show in Spanish in the United States) to talk about the release of my book “The Light After Loss”. Mara was with me during the interview because, in addition to presenting my book, I was going to speak publicly for the first time about her Down syndrome diagnosis. Up until that point, only our immediate circle of family and friends knew. It was a decision we took to honor her pregnancy and to not allow any sadness or pity near a pregnancy which was very very wanted.

The interview was beautiful and I am very proud that what came out of it was a message of hope and unconditional love. Once it was shared on the show’s social media channels, it got so much traction as people kept sharing it on Facebook. Eight months ago, it reached one million views and a few days ago it reached two million views.

Why is this a big deal? To me, that is HUGE. Huge because I know that there is a mother out there that needs to hear a hopeful message after receiving a Down syndrome diagnosis. That was my hope when I gave the interview. Not only that. I wanted to save lives. I wanted to share my side of the story so people receiving a prenatal diagnosis did not make the decision to terminate the pregnancy based on fear. To this day, I have received several messages from mothers who decided to keep their babies after watching the interview. “A child is alive thanks to you and it is not one you gave birth to” were the words of one of my best friends when I shared with her a beautiful message that a mom sent me letting me know that she had decided to continue with her pregnancy after watching the now viral interview.

I am in awe every single time I get a message like that. In awe of how much goodness we can bring into the world if we share our vulnerability and the lessons we learn along this journey called life.