0279 Life is a Blessing Biography of Dr. Jerome Lejeune

Full title: Life is a Blessing: A Biography of Dr. Jerome Lejeune: Geneticist, Doctor, Father. By Clara LeJeune-Gaymard. Dr. Lejeune was a great geneticist and physician who was first and foremost a great human being. A deeply moving and intimate memoir by a loving daughter. Dr. Lejeune, who discovered the genetic cause of Down’s Syndrome, had the courage and character to take an unpopular stand and to unflinchingly sacrifice wealth and prestige—including a Nobel prize—to stand on his convictions that all children have the right to life, even the disabled. Though viciously persecuted, he continued his research and counseled and consoled many families with Down’s Syndrome children. He was a friend of John Paul II and was named the first president of the Pontifical Academy for Life. At the same time he was an exemplary husband and father. At peace with himself and God, he died on Easter Sunday, 1994, at age 67. His cause for beatification is underway. 139 pp. Softcover.