Courtney Baker spent more than a year writing a letter she had been thinking about since she was pregnant with her daughter, Emersyn Faith, who has special needs.
VAZHDO LEXIMIN ME POSHTE!
“I knew how important it would be to write that letter, even before Emmy was born,” Baker told ABC News.
With the help of her 15-month-old daughter, Baker finally mailed the letter at the end of May to the doctor who delivered her prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. She also shared it on the Parker Myles Facebook page, where it has since been shared thousands of times.
Baker explained that the doctor had suggested she terminate the pregnancy, and even after she refused, she continued to feel pressured.
“Every small action, from opening and closing the mailbox to raising the red flag, felt like closure for me,” Baker said. “I don’t know how the doctor will react, but I have faith that God can work miracles and change hearts.”
The letter read:
Dear Doctor,
A friend once shared that her prenatal specialist would comment during sonograms, “He’s perfect.” When her son was born with Down syndrome, the doctor looked at him and said, “I told you. He’s perfect.”
Her story broke my heart. While I was grateful for her experience, it filled me with sorrow for what I should have had. I wish you had been that doctor for me.
During one of the most difficult times in my life, I came to you terrified, anxious, and in despair. I didn’t yet know the truth about my baby, and that was what I desperately needed from you. Instead of support, you suggested we terminate the pregnancy. Even after I told you her name, you questioned whether we understood how “low our quality of life” would be with a child with Down syndrome. From that moment, we dreaded our appointments.
But my child is perfect.
I’m not angry or bitter—just sad. Sad that the tiny, beating hearts you see every day don’t always fill you with awe. Sad that the miracle of little fingers and toes, lungs, eyes, and ears doesn’t always inspire wonder. Sad that you could say a child with Down syndrome would diminish our quality of life. And heartbroken that you might still say that to another mother today.
Mostly, I’m sad you’ll never get to know my daughter, Emersyn. She has not only added to our lives—she’s touched thousands of hearts. She’s given us joy, purpose, laughter, and love beyond words.
My prayer is that no other mother endures what I did. I pray that when you see the next baby with Down syndrome in a mother’s womb, you see the beauty and love I see in Emmy—and tell her mother the truth: “Your child is perfect.”
“I hope he sees Emmy. I hope he reads my words,” Baker said. “Emmy proves that children with special needs are extraordinary and can change the world. She’s already doing it.”