140. Heart Transplant Discrimination Against People with Down Syndrome (Trigger Warning: Infant Loss)

(Trigger warning: infant loss, heart defect). Thanks for joining us this week as we discuss a heavy topic: organ transplant discrimination in the Down syndrome community. This topic was born out of a recent tragedy with the passing of Zion Sarmiento, who was born with DS. Zion passed away on October 8th, just a week shy of 4 months old, after being denied a heart transplant by multiple hospitals. And the reasons they were denied are heart breaking. The truth is that many medical professionals, and society as a whole, do not see the worth and value of people with Down syndrome. But thankfully, the National DS Society is working hard to change that. And today, we’re telling you all the ways to take action, how to support Zion’s family, and what we can do everyday to shift the narrative.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Sarmiento family.