(CNN) -- The day my daughter Marley was born, I went straight to the nursery and held her for well over two hours. I just held her and cried because I had never experienced such a love for anyone or anything in my life. I think the nurses thought I was crazy because eventually they told me I needed to go be with my wife. Three days later, before we left the hospital, the pediatric doctor told us she thought Marley might have Down syndrome. My reaction: Are you freaking kidding me? I immediately had a panic attack and was taken to the emergency room. Thoughts were racing through my mind: How could my perfect daughter have Down syndrome? How could they not know for sure? How could the general ultrasound, which said we had a 1-in-18,000 chance of having a child with Down syndrome, be wrong? Why was God punishing me? How could I live with a daughter that was going to be rejected by everyone ... including myself?
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Jack Barr Jr. had a panic attack when he found out his daughter had Down syndrome
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Barr planned to go for a walk and never return to his family, but then had a change of heart
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Now, he wants to encourage other parents to think differently about Down syndrome
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