As you have read in the past, trying to keep my daughter from venturing out on her own, has become quite a formidable task. She just doesn’t see the danger in going out the door without an adult. She firmly believes that cars in the parking lot will stop for her and they present no danger to her life. I just cannot make her comprehend the consequences. Unfortunately, my absolute worst nightmare came to be a reality just a few weeks ago.
Early one Sunday morning, (we’re assuming somewhere between 7:30 and 8:00) my young daughter awoke before everyone else, as she so often does, and took it upon herself to let our dog out for her morning constitutional. Obviously the dog saw her chance for escape and bolted as soon as the door was opened for her. First let me say that Abbey has never before been able to get out the back door. In order for her to go that direction she has to unhook the basement door, go down two steps, fiddle with a fussy doorknob, and then open a door that sticks quite firmly in the summer. I still have a hard time picturing all 4’3” of this child managing her way through two doors while somehow holding on to a 70+ pound dog.
Here’s where things get extremely difficult for me. On that bright, sunny Sunday morning, my 6 year old daughter with Down Syndrome walked out of my house and simply kept going. Apparently, it didn’t occur to her that she might be in danger, or that she should come to me and wake me up. We figure she saw the dog run around the corner and she went after her.
At 8:05, my oldest daughter woke me up by saying, “Mom, the back door is open and I can’t find Abbey anywhere”. It’s safe to say those words struck more terror in my heart than I ever though my body could take. We ran around the house checking closets, the basement, anywhere. I just kept thinking she had to be there. I don’t remember putting any shoes on, but at some point I did and ran outside and around the block screaming for my daughter. I checked cars, swing sets, anything I could think of, and still could find no sign of her. I can’t begin to tell you how utterly painful and terrifying that situation was. I stood on the sidewalk sobbing and trying to breath and still, my mind could not grasp what was happening. I ran back in the house, grabbed the phone, and for some inexplicable reason, I ran back outside with the phone in my hand. Part of my brain said to dial 911, and the other part of my brain kept saying “she’s got to be here, she’s got to be right here somewhere”. I have no idea why I ran to the end of the block, phone in hand. I guess I thought I would look down the street again. I can’t really offer an explanation why I didn’t just dial the phone. I stood on the curb and a gold car pulled up, with an older man and his wife inside. “Are you lookin’ for something?”, he asked. For a brief moment I thought, “now that’s a dumb question” and then the words “my daughter” came out of my mouth and I thought I’d die right on the spot. Then I heard, “Get in we’ll take you to her, we know where she is” and without a moment’s thought to my own safety I jumped into the back seat of a perfect strangers car. I don’t know if this nice older gentleman had ever pushed the pedal to the floor of his nice new car, but this morning he did. His wife explained that they had seen her walking up the middle (the middle!) of the street and had turned around and drove to the police station a couple of blocks away. I sat there bawling in the back seat of their car, phone still in my hand, telling them that she has Down Syndrome and she doesn’t understand the danger. Three blocks, we drove for three whole blocks before he pulled over to the curb, behind a police car, and there was my daughter standing on the sidewalk in a t-shirt and diaper. I jumped out of their car and dropped to my knees in front of her and hugged her so tightly I’m sure it had to hurt. I’ve never cried harder in my life or felt more pain and relief at the same time.
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