The Beacon Issue 3 | 2019 The Beacon Issue 3 | 2019 | Page 5

LUNA REYES IS FIERCE, INDEPENDENT,
LOVING, FEISTY, AND TOUGH BEYOND
MEASURE. SHE IS A FIGHTER. A
WARRIOR THAT WON’T GIVE UP.
Luna was born April 19, 2013 at St Francis Hospital in Tulsa
OK, and eight hours after her birth the neonatologist advised
us that they believed she had Down syndrome.
If you don’t know anything about Down syndrome then
you might not know that typical developing people have
only two copies of the 21st chromosome. Those with Down
syndrome have three copies. You also might not know that
there are three types of Down syndrome. Luna has the most
common of the three, trisomy 21, which affects about 5,000
babies born each year, and more than 350,000 people in the
United States.
Being a first time mother at the age of 19, I felt scared,
overwhelmed, and unsure about our future. All I knew in that
moment is that I loved my beautiful baby girl and we would
be all right.
Upon a diagnosis of Down syndrome, doctors typically tell
you every additional thing that could happen to your child as
a result of them having Down syndrome. They informed us
that there is a 2 to 3 percent chance that children with Downs
may develop leukemia. Luna was a part of that percentage
and was diagnosed with cancer at age 3.
When Luna was two weeks old, after learning about her
diagnosis of Down syndrome, I heard about the Little Light
House thanks to Down Syndrome Association of Tulsa. I
immediately put her on the wait list. The interview with
Little Light House was warm and welcoming and Luna was
accepted into their wonderful developmental program at
two years old!
Since being at the Little Light House, Luna has blossomed
into the little girl she is today. She can walk and her
vocabulary, including English, Spanish, and some sign
language, has grown enough that she is now speaking in
sentences! 
The Little Light House has been a family to us. They have
watched my baby girl grow and gave her all the extra help
she needed to do so. They were a blessing during her 2 1/2
year battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. This school
makes a difference for families and children more than words
can express. 
Thank you donors and volunteers for all you do for Little
Light House and for all the children that attend. Your
generosity paves the way for children like Luna to have the
best possible beginning in life.