With six other children at home, Kathryn Lynard Soper was prepared for the challenges another newborn would bring. But after Thomas's complicated birth, his diagnosis-Down syndrome-forced her to face her deepest fears and weaknesses, her ignorance and prejudice, and her limitations as a mother and as a human being. Her struggle, coupled with the demands of caring for a fragile baby and juggling her family's needs, sparked the worst episode of depression she'd experienced in decades. The Year My Son and I Were Born is Soper's brutally honest yet beautiful account of how she escaped a downward spiral of despair and emerged with newfound peace. Antidepressant therapy restored her equilibrium, and interactions with friends and family brought needed perspective. But the most profound change came through her growing relationship with Thomas. His radiant presence shone through her outer layers of self, where fear and guilt festered, and reached the center of her very being-where love, acceptance, and gratitude blossomed in abundance. A Reading Group Guide is available at: http://kathrynlynardsoper.com/memoir/readers-guide

Author Biography

Kathryn Lynard Soper is president of The Segullah Group, a nonprofit organization that produces personal writings. She is the editor in chief of the literary journal Segullah and the editor of two anthologies, Gifts: Mothers Reflect on How Children with Down Syndrome Enrich Their Lives and The Mother in Me: Real-World Reflections on Growing Into Motherhood.