ELLA

The Ruiz Family

by Shannon Ruiz

Frank and Shannon Ruiz are parents to Ella (14), Nick (13) and Evan (13). They also have two, very loved, furry family members: a dog named Ranger and a cat named Tigger. 

Ella arrived a month early and it was love at first sight. While spending time in the NICU, they learned she had Down Syndrome. At first they grieved for the perceived loss, but learned quickly that they had won the lottery. They feel they have a guiding star has always been to make sure they are doing everything they can for Ella so she can change the world. 

Ella is a very typical 14 year old who happens to have Down Syndrome. She often comes home from her day at Fremont Middle School and shares the latest drama happening between friends. She has attended dances, is an aide for one of her classes and has a best friend. 

When asked about challenges they are facing, Shannon says they are doing well right now. Some times are hard due to school or medical issues, while other times they are waiting for the other shoe to drop. It hasn’t always been easy. She has learned to enjoy the peaks so when the valleys surface, they are able to tackle them.

Ella is talkative and confident. She is sassy and has a great sense of humor. She loves to listen to music and has filled notebooks with some of her favorite song lyrics. She is also a prankster and has a collection of pranks waiting for the next victim. Her favorite day is Wednesday when she gets picked up by her PSW and they spend hours drawing, making plans for box forts and decoding messages using her Spy Kit. 

She is her brothers’ super fan and loves to watch them play their sports. She has a shirt with their name and number for every sport! This creates some jealousy because she wants her own sport for them to cheer for her too. 

Ella is very aware of some of her differences and gets frustrated when she can’t do things like her brothers or friends. She can be stubborn and doesn’t like to back down during a power struggle. However, her stubbornness may be an asset. Ella has recently been playing basketball and joined the gym so she can get stronger and make a shot. 

Ella is an absolute joy and she is a very good and loyal friend. She looks out for others, and she amazes her parents with the things she comes up with. She also loves to do Tik Tok dances, drawing, hanging out with her mom, listening to Walker Hayes and arm wrestling in the cafeteria at school.

Together, the Ruiz family likes to have pizza night every Friday. They made it a tradition and they get to tell stories from the week. They also play Beat Saver on the Oculus VR and watch sports together. They spend a lot of time in the car, shuffling between soccer, basketball, cross-country, football and baseball. 

The family loves to go to Brandon beaches with the dog and visiting family in Montana. Most of their family is out of state, which is hard, but they make the most of visits.

Sharon wants to encourage other parents to create a one-page profile and to update it yearly. She is a teacher and she would love to get information from every child on how their child learns, what challenges they deal with and their strengths. The profile helps you communicate what people should know about your child to avoid conflict and encourage better connections. Ella keeps a supply of them in her backpack. She once came home frustrated by a kid at school and wanted to give him one of her profile forms because “he doesn’t know me.”