Rúben Þeyr was born on January 8, 2020. He is the son of Addý and Vífill Már Viktorsson and Rúben’s big sister is Karítas Von, who is 10 years old.

“To have a baby with Down’s syndrome was a huge blow, as we didn’t expect it,” adds Addý, asked about her experience of giving birth to a baby with Down’s. Screening for the syndrome has become very common in Iceland, and since it officially began in 2000 there are far fewer people born with Down’s.

“As we experienced the diagnosis as a shock after a difficult birth, we were immediately invited to talk to the hospital priest, who was very supportive. He approached us in a very human way. Then a social worker from SAK came and talked to us and introduced us to our rights and notified the municipality of Akureyri about us, who then contacted us when we got home,” Addý says about the first reaction of staff at the SAK.

One of approximately 800 children in the world is born with Downs syndrome. In Iceland, about 0-2 children are born with Downs syndrome every year.

“We were very well handled by the staff of SAk when suddenly we were faced with a new reality. We never felt like we were in a free-flowing air, we were always safe. Four years later, we still remember the staff of SAk, how great they were and saved us in the first few days of our new reality,” Addý says.

After the birth, Rúben Þeyr spent two weeks in the children’s ward at SAk, where he needed oxygen for a while.

For more information about Downs syndrome, visit the website www.downs.is.