Einstein Syndrome: Down Syndrome with a Positive Attitude

Isaac Scott Watson

Eight and a half years ago a woman in Indiana made a choice.  She was pregnant, carrying a baby with Down syndrome.  Should she abort?  Her situation, and all of society argued that she should get an abortion.  But she didn’t.   That woman was honored for her choice yesterday at Isaac Watson’s funeral.  His birth mother gave him the gift of life.

It was only six days from the time Barb and Scott Watson received the call about a baby who needed a home until the time he was adopted as their son.  And just last week, it was only six days from Isaac being sick with a fever until his days on earth were ended.

The Psalmist wrote that in God’s book our days  were all written, the days that were ordained for us, when as yet there was not one of them.  That book had proscribed eight and a half years for Isaac.. so short… but such a life!

Back in April, Barbara wrote about his infectious joie de vivre:

Our son loves to throw open his arms to the man driving the trash truck when we are out walking the dog. The man has stopped, jumped off, and given him a hug several times.  Now he honks, which makes Isaac smile and laugh, when he sees us out.  Isaac also loves to invite people over to our house when he meets them.  Its something we gotta keep working on….

Isaac lived his life fully, often demanding (with overwhelming cuteness) that those around him enter into his games, plans and activities just because he said so.

Here are a couple of the comments that were posted on the ES email list in response to the news of his passing.

From Sherry:

…My heart aches for Barbara and the family. I cannot tell you how close to home this hits for me…

[Barb] was talking about how Isaac would invite everyone he met home with him. And the little sweetheart had already survived leukemia! I found it particularly poignant when I read that he was scheduled for heart surgery in September for the exact same conditions Jamie. was operated on for when she was almost 8.

…My child and many of our children stand on the shoulders of these fragile little heroes who have gone before. I so often think of the book Angel Unaware by Dale Evans published in 1953 when our children were habitually hidden away and the medical expertise to perform the heart surgeries we almost take for granted today had not yet emerged.

I love the opening quotation and think particularly of Isaac’s propensity to invite “strangers” home to visit.  From Hebrews 13:2 “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

Linda shared a poignant moment from her son’s funeral, that all the children released a balloon to send up to Heaven.

This inspired Cass to honor Isaac in a similar way.  She wrote

Though I did not “personally” know Barb…this feels like family.  I feel so incredibly sad for the Watson’s.  And yes, this makes me, too, realize the preciousness of our little Michael- of all our children-all the more deeply.

Cass writes that she shared about Isaac with her kids, and then she got some white balloons to send heavenward in honor of Isaac.  Here’s a pic.

At the viewing, Barb shared two things.  She said that whenever they went anywhere as a family, Isaac would never wait.  He was always running on ahead.  So full of life and excitement!

She also shared that one of her prayers had been that if Jesus returned in their lifetimes, that the whole family would be caught up to greet Jesus together.

Then she added, “The little stinker.  He did it again!  He ran on ahead!”

Update: Here’s another example of a family who understands about life and blessings.