A mother from High River is helping bring comfort and love to parents whose children are facing a difficult diagnosis.
Krista Rowland-Collins is the mother of Adele, a three-year-old girl who has Down syndrome. She knows the difficulties some families face.
“When you’re given a brochure, it doesn’t give a lot of comfort,” Rowland-Collins said. “Being able to bring them a basket filled with love, they know there’s a community supporting them.”
The idea of creating baskets for new parents of babies with Down syndrome came when Rowland-Collins came across a Facebook page from the United States of another mother that was making comfort baskets. She reached out to the founder of that page and asked if she could start something similar in Canada.
Coming up with her own projects and ideas, Rowland-Collins started her own Facebook page and started making baskets for families of children born with Down syndrome.
About a year-and-a-half ago, a friend’s son who has Down syndrome was also diagnosed with leukemia.
“It’s sad, it’s heartbreaking. When your good friend tell you that their little one has been diagnosed with cancer, your heart breaks. All you can do is be the best support you can be,” Rowland-Collins said.
“I knew I had to do something.”
This is how Adele’s Over the Rainbow baskets expanded into making baskets for children with Down syndrome who are also diagnosed with cancer.
According to Dr. Victor Lewis, leukemia is more common in children with Down syndrome and it is believed that there are “very specific” mutations that make children with Down syndrome more susceptible. He said there is currently no evidence that radiation from medical tests causes cancer in children with Down syndrome.
Belinda Mendes was the first recipient of one of these baskets when her son Grayson was diagnosed with leukemia.
Mendes also now helps with the delivery of the baskets.
“It’s really special to be able to be a part of that,” Mendes said. “It’s really humbling, for sure.”
Rowland-Collins has now made four baskets for children with the dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and cancer and is approaching 50 baskets for families of babies with Down syndrome.
Adele’s Over the Rainbow Baskets rely on donations and Rowland-Collins is grateful for every single one of them.
“It’s overwhelming sometimes. I was low on blankets, and put it out there on Facebook asking if anyone crochets. Suddenly I had a load of blankets being mailed to me. People love to help,” Rowland-Collins said.
Rowland-Collins knows that the most important thing is being there for families and supporting them through the hard times.
“I’m here for you, I’ll hold your hand throughout this entire journey.”
For more information or to donate to Adele’s Over the Rainbow baskets visit the Facebook page here or email Krista Rowland-Collins at krowland23@hotmail.com.
Editor’s note: This article had been corrected to remove information suggesting children with Down Syndrome are more likely to be diagnosed with cancer because of increased radiation in childhood tests. We regret the error.
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