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I love that.
As you may or may not know, my aunt Martha was Down's Syndrome. I can't really say "suffered from", since she was a loving happy person. And she brought more joy to the family than you can imagine. She forced you everyday to understand how lucky you were to be born healthy and what a waste is was to ignore it.
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She was an integral part of my life until I was 33, when she passed away. However, saying this let me say it was exceptionally hard on her family, her parents were Zela and HAM - my grandparents.
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Zela talked about how it changed the entire family dynamic after she was born. Not in a bad way, but in an appreciable way. For me it was cool, since they took up camping (which Martha could do from a camper) - but it was hard on the family.
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Most of Martha's pictures with me are in the desert, but here are some.
Me (at 23) Martha and Zela on our trip across the US by car visiting relatives (this is Joplin Mo).
Martha winning a medal at the Special Olympics (with me in the back around 11 and my step-brothers for a while, Mark and Jeff).
Martha with HAM at the Salton Sea (I got a story about me trying to fish that same week-end it isn't pretty).
Martha in her usual happy face at breakfast in Hawaii.
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You don't hear so much about Down's Syndrome kids anymore because when a parent finds out an embryo carries Down's, the featus is often aborted. I don't judge that. I spoke with Zela about abortion once and she questioned herself about this. The difficulty of raising a Down's baby changed her marriage and her son (my dad) in ways that she wasn't happy with. She would never have put Martha in a home - but if she knew before Martha was born what the consequences were going to be, well she would have to think seriously about her options. I think only a woman who has lived through this can make such an honest statement.
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So I give Sarah Palin credit here and expect no crap from anyone about it. She isn't ready to be President or VP -but she is a brave woman for facing this.