"He was given to us by God - there was never a question in my mind"

Donna Simard is an award-winning author from western Manitoba. She's also a mother to twelve children.

"Thankfully they didn't all come at once," Simard says with a laugh. "We always had time to adjust, and we prayed, and we just did what we had to do."

Simard is from the small town of St. Lazare, in the Assiniboine Valley. One of her books, Donna's Dozens, lovingly recounts stories of raising so many children in a day and age where large families are no longer common.

But it's another one of her books that has her being invited to be the keynote speaker at Life's Vision fundraising banquet on October 14.

Isaiah's Way is about her youngest child, Isaiah. "Isaiah is truly special," Simard says about her young son, who has been diagnosed with Downs Syndrome. 

"I'm still learning," she says about parenting a child with different needs than the 11 previous kids. "But he teaches us about unconditional love, daily. He reaches out, and loves others without condition. We just let him do it Isaiah's way, and it is absolutely amazing."

You can hear about the lessons Isaiah has taught her along life's journey at the Life's Vision banquet on October 14 by purchasing tickets here.

"He was given to us by God - there was never a question in my mind," she says about Isaiah. "I always knew God would guide us, and I'll talk more about that at the event."

You can also follow Donna at her author page.