AOP: How has Mackenzie’s journey shaped your family’s perspective on parenting, faith, and everyday life?
Shalin: With Mackenzie being our first child, Dion and I had to step into parenthood for the first time while also learning what a Down syndrome diagnosis meant and what challenges it might bring. While other parents were talking milestones and growth percentages, grades and extracurricular activities, our early years looked like early intervention, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and blood work. It wasn’t the path we expected, but all of it shaped us and grew us. It’s given us a different perspective than we would have had otherwise, and ultimately, it’s made us better parents.
Our faith is central to our entire story. That one additional chromosome completely changed the trajectory of our life as we are saved through Jesus Christ and living our lives with purpose that we would not have otherwise had we not have been blessed with Mackenzie as she is.
AOP: What are some of Mackenzie’s favorite things to do, and what makes her personality so special?
Shalin: Mackenzie loves being a part of our church’s student ministry, and she loves singing and being in the presence of praise and worship. She loves all of the Disney musical movies and shows. Mackenzie is involved with gymnastics, Special Olympics, and the Miracle League of East Alabama. She’s got a loving heart, a stubborn streak, and a laugh that’s contagious. She is naturally joyful and has a way of brightening up everyone around her.
AOP: What is something you’ve learned through unexpected challenges that you wish more people understood?
Shalin: I think it’s easy for people to get caught up in their own world without even realizing it — chasing what’s comfortable, what’s convenient, what fits neatly into the life they had planned. What I wish more people understood is that a child with a disability will change your life, and it will change it for the better. Yes, there are real challenges; we won’t pretend otherwise. But that child will impact you in ways you never could have imagined going in. You’ll find a deeper appreciation for the beauty of life, and it comes from exactly where you’d least expect it, from that child and from that disability itself. God doesn’t just work good into your life through it, He uses it to change the world around you too.
AOP: How has your faith influenced the way you parent and advocate for Mackenzie?
Shalin: Our faith has carried us through this from the very beginning. Romans 8:28 says, ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose,’ and we’ve watched that promise play out firsthand. What felt like a season of despair after receiving that diagnosis years ago turned into the very thing that has brought our family such joy and relationships with people we would have never met otherwise. That’s the lens we try to parent through now, trusting that God is working even when we can’t see it or understand it.
AOP: What advice would you give to families who have recently received a Down syndrome diagnosis or another unexpected diagnosis for their child?
Shalin: Don’t let the diagnosis write the story before your child gets the chance to. Give yourself grace to grieve the loss of the picture you had in your head, but hold onto hope, because what’s coming is going to be different, not less. Find your community early, whether that’s church, other special needs families, or both. And trust that God is not surprised by your child. He’s not working around the diagnosis; He’s working through it. That child is fearfully and wonderfully made.
AOP: What do you hope Mackenzie knows about herself as she grows into the young woman God created her to be?
Shalin: We hope Mackenzie knows she is fully loved, fully capable, and fully seen exactly as God made her. We hope she knows her worth was never up for debate, and that the same joy she brings into every room is a gift, and that she makes this world a better place just by being who she is.
AOP: If you could leave local families with one message about inclusion and acceptance, what would it be?
Shalin: Every child is worth celebrating exactly as they are, not despite how God made them, but because of it. Inclusion isn’t about lowering the bar or making space out of pity; it’s about recognizing that kids like Mackenzie have something to offer the rest of us that we’re missing out on if we don’t make room for them.
Rapid Fire:
Sweet or Salty? Salty
Early Bird or Night Owl? Early Bird
Favorite Family Vacation Spot? Beach
One word your kids would use to describe you? Kind
One word that sums up this season of life? Intentional
Shalin Peoples and her husband, Dion, have been married 15 years. Both grew up in Opelika and have proudly called Auburn home for more than 20 years. They are the parents of two children, Mackenzie, 13, and Declan, 7, and share their home with two beloved furbabies. The family is actively involved in their church and enjoy spending time together, especially during family game nights.
Author: Staff
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