October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Meet Landon...all boy...all smiles...all sweetness!!  Landon is my precious friend Krystal's son and he has Down Syndrome.  I can still remember the day he was born and how happy and excited she was to finally hold him.  He is so sweet and he will always put a smile on your face.

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month and I wanted to take the time to make sure everyone finds out at least one new thing about Down Syndrome that they might not have known before now.

Here are some things to think about:

Down syndrome is usually caused by an error in cell division called nondisjunction. It is not known why this occurs. However, it is known that the error occurs at conception and is not related to anything the mother did during pregnancy. It has been known for some time that the incidence of Down syndrome increases with advancing maternal age. However, 80% of children with Down syndrome are born to women under 35 years of age.

It is important to remember that while children and adults with Down syndrome experience developmental delays, they also have many talents and gifts and should be given the opportunity and encouragement to develop them. Most children with Down syndrome have mild to moderate impairments but it is important to note that they are more like other children than they are different.

Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring genetic condition. One in every 691 babies in the United States is born with Down syndrome, or approximately 6,000 births per year. Today, there are more than 400,000 people with Down syndrome living in the United States.


How you can help:

* Get involved.

There are 2 Buddy Walks in our area -

Family Connection Spartanburg Buddy Walk

Walk Date:	Oct 6, 2012
Walk Time:	1:00 PM
Walk Name:	Family Connection Spartanburg Buddy Walk
Address	355 Cedar Springs Road
City:	Spartanburg
State:	SC
Zip Code	29302
Country	United States
Organizer Name	Lisa Anderson
E-Mail:	lisaanderson@familyconnectionsc.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Phone	864-585-5462
Website	www.familyconnectionsc.org

Down Syndrome Family Alliance of Greenville Buddy Walk

Walk Date:	Oct 28, 2012
Walk Time:	2:00 PM
Walk Name:	Down Syndrome Family Alliance of Greenville Buddy Walk
Address	Furman University
City:	Greenville
State:	SC
Zip Code	29613
Country	United States
Organizer Name	Carol Paguntalan
E-Mail:	paguntalan.c@ptc.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Phone	864-941-6142
Website	www.dsfagreenville.org

* Sign up HERE for advocacy alerts.  Through advocacy alert emails, NDSS will let you know what you can do and when to support important Down syndrome legislative activities. A quick phone call or submitting a form email is usually all it takes to affect positive changes for people with Down syndrome!

The most important thing you can do is to make you and your family aware of how Down Syndrome affects our community.  Teach your children how they can reach out to a child with Down Syndrome and how they can be friend.

 

 

I would like to thank The Gurganus family for permission to use their photos and the opportunity to shed light on Down Syndrome through their beautiful son, Landon.  Krystal, you are an inspiration as a mother and a friend and Landon is truly blessed to have you as his mom!!