From the first to the last of his eight children, the family of Sonia and Jeff McGarrity is a sample “of the sense of humor of God”, the desire for holiness and the openness of marriage to life.
After more than 20 years married, they have eight children, of whom three are adopted and four have Down syndrome. Your balance? “To love as much as God allows us”, account Sonia in Colorado Parent.
He was looking for compassion in his family
Sonia and Jeff met 20 years ago in the city of Washington. Both of them they worked in the Church environment. They married and were soon parents to Thomas and Sean.
His third son, Jeffrey, would have Down syndrome. “I had been among children with special needs and there was a softness in their families that helped them have a compassion that I did not see in other families. I didn’t think about the difficulty, I just saw compassion, and I wanted that for my family ”, explained a Catholic News Agency.
“For some, news like this can be devastating, but it was not for us,” said Sonia.
The McGarrities, during a speech at the Denver pro-life march in 2019.
“I want to love as much as You allow me”
After the birth of their fourth child, Brendan, the family moved to Colorado. There they had two abortions spontaneous.
Open to life, they took up the idea of adoption knowing the number of abortions that occurred due to gene 21 trisomy. “Nobody understands what these precious souls can do with their unconditional love,” explains Sonia. “It’s about opening your heart and saying: ‘God, I want to love as much as you allow me´”.
God’s sense of humor
He asked an expert “if it was crazy to be the parent of a child with Down syndrome and want to adopt another child with Down syndrome. He replied that his four children had it. I guess I’m not crazy, ”she thought. Months later, in December 2010, the family adopted Cecilia.
“This is where God’s sense of humor comes in,” Jeff says, explaining that some months after Cecilia got home, Sonia found out she was pregnant Augustine, who was born on Christmas 2011. With the adoption of Rose Marie and Charlotte, who also had gene 21 trisomy, the McGarrities saw their entire family between 2015 and 2018.
In total, they have 8 children, 3 adopted and 4 with Down syndrome.
A normal day with the McGarrities
A typical day begins at 5:30 a.m. at the McGarrity house. “Every morning when you wake up Jeff hugs me and reminds me that whatever comes our way, we can face it”. Sonia prepares breakfast and everyone except the little one, Charlotte, leaves for school at 8:30.
Then Charlotte receives therapy at home and later accompanies her mother to a food bank where she works as a volunteer. Then they go back and cook dinner before they go to therapy, sports, and music classes. The family ends the day praying together the Liturgy of the Hours, singing the antiphon of the Virgin and doing the examination of conscience.
For Sonia and Jeff McGarrity, their eight children, three adopted and four with Down syndrome, are a blessing.
“Most importantly, love my children”
“I see my friends going with their husbands on weekends and I know that is not an option for us,” says Sonia. Failing that, “I will say that we always try to outdo each other in mutual service, and that has prevented us from feeling saturated ”.
“Focusing on each other instead of ourselves,” adds Jeff, “we have been able to overcome difficult situations”.
“I can never catch up with my homework,” Sonia acknowledges, “but I’m sure the Lord tells me:`I’m not asking you to complete the whole list, just to do what you must´ “. For her, “the most important thing I have to do is love my children.”
Willing to expand your family
Currently, marriage help other parents who are expecting children with Down syndrome. They invite prospective parents into their home and talk about the challenges and joys that await them.
“If you are a biological father and have a prenatal diagnosis, come and meet our family“Sonia invites.
To this day, Sonia is active in Facebook groups so that future mothers know that if they have a prenatal diagnosis and are considering abortion, she would be happy to raise her child. He explains that his only job is to get to heaven with his children. “God has called us to spread the joy of adopting children with Down syndrome,” he concludes.
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