Grey’s Anatomy star Caterina Scorsone recently opened up about her experience as a mother of a daughter with Down’s syndrome. Although she was initially scared of raising her daughter as a single mother, the actress eventually realized the beauty of her daughter’s differences and now celebrates them instead.
She was initially scared when her daughter Pippa was born.
The 41-year-old actress is famous for the role of Dr. Amelia Shepherd in Grey’s Anatomy, but Caterina Scorsone has faced many personal struggles outside of her career. In 2020, she split from her husband Rob Giles, with whom she had three children. With the end of her 12-year marriage, Caterina was left as a single mother to her three daughters Eliza, Pippa, and Lucky.
Caterina delved into more detail regarding the birth of her daughter Pippa, who was born with Down syndrome. “When my daughter Pippa was born, I was scared. I didn’t know anything about Down syndrome. I didn’t know anything. All I knew about Down syndrome was that people were afraid of it, so I figured I should be too,” she said.
The actress eventually learned to embrace raising her daughter alone as a single mother.
However, as she raised her beautiful daughter she eventually realized that her initial fears were unfounded as Pippa’s birth opened new doors for her life. “There is no standard, objective, perfect human being. The metrics of perfection are arbitrary and imposed in the service of those who fit them. My daughter is perfect. Exactly the way she is,” she explained her new perspective.
By connecting with other families who had members with differently abled children, the actress found herself in a loving and warm community that welcomed her with open arms and helped her through the experience. “I didn’t really know what family could feel like until I entered the disability community and met other families that loved and included a person with Down syndrome,” she explained.
Her perspective on disabilities has completely shifted due to her own experience.
In a previous interview in 2019 where she talked about parenting, Caterina had said that having kids meant “nothing is in your control anymore” and “You have to roll with whatever is happening.” Her fresh perspective on parenthood and her bond with her daughter reflects in her statement: “Pippa is perfect exactly as she is. So are you, and so am I. The only way we lose sight of that perfection is to look for it somewhere else.”
In another similar story, a mother of 3 daughters with Down syndrome ended up discovering that she had the same condition as well.