“We were thrown into another universe”  Eszter Balla speaks about her child with Down syndrome

As a mother of three, Eszter Balla strives to maintain a healthy balance between her private life and her career. Today, she may be in an easier situation, as her youngest child is already approaching the age of 11, but there were challenges when starting a family. The actress known from Moszkva tér and Kontroll gave birth to a daughter with Down syndrome in 2008, and she spoke about this in a recent interview.

“I was 28… At that point, I already felt there was nothing that should make me postpone having a child any longer. So we were completely ready to start a family. And then when Emma was born, we were thrown into another universe when we found out after the birth that she had Down syndrome. From that moment on, I didn’t even have a chance to focus on anything else,” Eszter Balla began in the latest episode of Panna, csajok, satöbbi, which is available on the Palikék Világa YouTube channel.

March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day worldwide a special day that highlights diversity, acceptance, and the power of human connections. The date is symbolic: it refers to trisomy of chromosome 21 (three copies of chromosome 21), which is the genetic characteristic of Down syndrome. On this day, many people wear colorful, mismatched socks to show that difference is a value, not a disadvantage.

“That’s when priorities really, truly shifted. On the one hand, simply because it’s your first child and you’re figuring out what to do and how to do it. My focus completely moved there. For a very long time, I didn’t think about whether I had roles, where I was being invited, or what would happen to my career motherhood entirely filled my life. I had to navigate everything that comes with raising a child with intellectual disabilities, with all its challenges and its beauty… Obviously, our psychological and mental balance was also shaken. Not just because you have a child and everything is wonderful but exhausting, but because an unknown burden suddenly fell on us, along with a kind of grieving process, where you in a way mourn the fact that your child is not born healthy, and you prepare for a different kind of life,” she explained to Panna Balázsy. The actress received the Tompos Kátya Award this year.

Five years later, Eszter Balla gave birth to her second daughter, followed by a son; she and her husband, cinematographer Dániel Garas, are now raising three children.

“I can really feel the shift now I’m no longer running around the sandbox with a hunched back, I’m not taking them to the playground anymore. That phase of having small children is over. The youngest, Pali, is already ten, almost eleven, and can go to nearby extracurriculars and training sessions on his own. They’re more independent. We’re still very close and love spending time together, but sometimes they close the door on themselves. I feel there’s now room for ‘me time’; life has become a bit more flexible,” Eszter Balla added about their everyday life.