With gratitude to friend and colleague Cindy Jones —-

Claire-Marie was born on December 8, 1984. Shortly afterward, she was left behind at the hospital.

Doctors had already told her biological mother that the baby would have Down syndrome, and according to Claire-Marie’s later account, she had even been advised not to continue the pregnancy.

Claire-Marie was born anyway.
At around 8 months old, she was adopted and finally had a family of her own. Her childhood unfolded between France and Poland, surrounded by the faith that would eventually become one of the strongest parts of her identity.

As she grew older, Claire-Marie became increasingly aware that people sometimes saw her disability before they saw her.

Her response was never to hide it.

In 2013, she formally consecrated her life to Jesus, becoming a consecrated woman in the Catholic Church. She later moved to Lourdes, where she became involved in visiting sick people, welcoming pilgrims and speaking with groups of young people about faith, happiness and what it means to value every human life.

Claire-Marie can sometimes speak to hundreds of young people at a time.
And she doesn’t pretend that having Down syndrome means life has always been simple.

She simply refuses to describe herself only through what she cannot do.

“I thank the Lord because I have a disability, but I still have two arms, two legs; I can walk, talk, pray,” she once said.

In 2022, her journey brought her to the Vatican as part of a synodal gathering involving people with disabilities from around the world. There, she spoke about creating a Church where people with disabilities are not simply cared for, but are also given meaningful roles and a voice of their own.

At the end of a general audience, Claire-Marie had the chance to meet Pope Francis.

She hugged him.

He asked her to pray for him.

She immediately promised that she would.

Today, Claire-Marie continues her life in Lourdes and remains involved with Pôle de Lumière, an association supporting families of children with Down syndrome.

Her story began with a baby who was left in a hospital.

More than four decades later, that same woman stands in front of young people, pilgrims and church leaders telling them something she has repeated for years:
“Life is a gift.”

How much can a person’s story change when someone chooses to see possibility where others initially saw only limitation?