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'Book of hope' helps Down's syndrome mums

A Cambridge mother, whose son has Down's syndrome, has produced a book focusing on the positives of the condition to help other new mums in the same situation.

A Cambridge mother, whose son has Down's syndrome, has produced a book focusing on the positives of the condition to help other new mums in the same situation.

Tania Khan said she was "terrified of her ignorance" when her son Qeis was born with the condition.

"I wasn't sure what Down's syndrome meant other than the stereotypical facial features," she said.

Ms Khan said she was upset that after his birth the emphasis was only the difficulties he would face.

So she used her and other parents' experiences to produce a book, called Hope, to highlight to parents just what's possible and to explain to siblings what Down's syndrome is.

"The 'book of hope' starts off with a story that's particularly written from children, to explain Down's syndrome to them in a light-hearted way," said Ms Khan.

"It ends with six individuals who have achieved their lifetime goals and their dreams and are living long, successful, functional lives."

The book is being made available at maternity units around the country, with the aim of translating it to other languages including Urdu.

Release date:

Duration:

1 minute