Seeing as it is November, this is the time of year in which we realize what we are thankful for; I thought I would write about who I am thankful for and why. This weekend I flew home to California, instead of spending my last Halloween of college on Mill, for multiple reasons I was excited: I get to see my parents, my boyfriend and decompress from the stress of school. And then I realized that this weekend was never intended for my gratification, but rather the result of the admiration and love that each person in my family has for one special person: Cole.
I’ll start from the beginning so that it makes sense. Almost three years ago my cousin Kendall had found out that she was pregnant, her first. Her older sister had already given birth to three, healthy and thriving children. Kendall was beyond excited, but with the decision to do some prenatal testing, the doctors had discovered that her baby could possibly have Down Syndrome. That’s when she began the process of researching for the right treatment that would help to assure her first child would grow up just like every other one: happy. Through early intervention programs and classes that Kendall and her husband became a part of, they discovered the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County, an event that would become an annual family gathering: the Buddy Walk. Cole is almost three and our family has participated in the Buddy Walk for the past two years now. October was Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and so the National Down Syndrome Society seeks to create acceptance and support the community of parents, family and friends who also desire to advance the acceptance of people with Down Syndrome.
The Buddy Walk is different than any other type of charity event because it focuses more on the gathering of people who love those, young or old, that have Down syndrome. After arriving at Angels stadium in Anaheim, we walked through the gates onto the actual field and found our team: Cole’s Clubhouse. So, after simply searching for the Mickey Mouse ears, we found my extended family. Each team entered in the Buddy Walk has a theme, and everyone dresses up for the Spirit Contest (in case you were wondering, everyone gets first place) while they make the half-mile walk around the baseball stadium surrounded by friends and family. The field is filled with tents; some are catering tents or retail where all of the proceeds go to the Association. Everything done for this event is specifically aimed toward the coming together of people who have loved ones, children or grandchildren that they came to show their love and support for.
The focus isn’t on creating an awareness of the disease and equality for those who have Down syndrome, but to create a community of love and support for people who have Down syndrome. Stereotypes and judgments become nonexistent in this place of love and appreciation. No matter how much Cole is thankful to have us in his life, I will always be more thankful to have Cole in mine. My cousin Kendall had her second baby Sunday evening after the Buddy Walk, and so Cole welcomed a baby brother into this world. I hope that Cole will someday understand how much of an impact he will have on his little brother’s life, and also everyone who loves him more than he could ever love us.
For more info about how you can get involved in these events, or just gain some more knowledge about Down Syndrome, please visit: http://www.ndss.org or http://www.dsaoc.org/buddy-walk.html