Buddy Walk on Saturday to support Down Syndrome Association

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Acosta Bridge volition beryllium lit successful bluish and yellowish each this week up of Saturday’s yearly Buddy Walk to rise consciousness astir Down syndrome.

One section household is among the hundreds helped by the efforts of Down Syndrome Association each year. The Abadin’s learned of Amelia’s Down syndrome diagnosis 1 period aft she was born.

“She has mosaic Down syndrome, which is precise rare,” parent Annette Abadin said. “It’s astir 1% of the colonisation of radical with down syndrome person mosaic. Fifty percent of her cells were you cognize the emblematic 46 chromosomes and the different fractional were 47. She had an further chromosome connected the 20 verse... truthful she fundamentally is simply a premix betwixt a emblematic person’s DNA and idiosyncratic with down syndrome.”

Now, 3½ years later, Amelia is continuing to thrive.

“Super social, she loves to dance. She’s successful ballet classes. Is precise musically motivated, ace successful Coco melon, Frozen is her favorite. So, I deliberation you cognize we’re having a precise emblematic acquisition raising her, she’s into each the aforesaid things that similar kids her property and her friends are into,” Abadin said.

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The Abadins recognition overmuch of Amelia’s occurrence to the unwavering enactment of the Down Syndrome Association.

“What the DSAJ has done for america truthful acold is they’ve helped america screen a batch of the outgo of Amelia’s therapies,” Abadin said. “Also, we conscionable got successful interaction with this monolithic assemblage successful Jacksonville of families who are loving, supportive and positive.”

“From the precise opening erstwhile they get that diagnosis, knowing they tin prime up the telephone and we’re going to beryllium determination for them and springiness them enactment -- not conscionable the contiguous need, but passim their child’s full beingness each the mode into adulthood,” said Debbie Revels, enforcement manager of the Down Syndrome Association of Jacksonville. “And we’ve heard it clip and clip again that the resources we connection has changed their minds of the diagnosis. It gives them peace, it gives them comfort, and it gives them that affirmative feeling that they got this and they’re going to person the enactment they request connected this journey

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The 19th Annual Buddy Walk is happening from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday astatine Jacksonville Beach.

It raises consciousness and acquisition astir Down syndrome portion besides helping rise wealth for families navigating these realities.

“To not person immoderate preconceived notions, I cognize that successful the past there’s been a batch of negativity and a batch of sadness tied to this diagnosis. Which you cognize we had astatine archetypal conscionable due to the fact that we didn’t cognize immoderate better, right? But present being afloat engulfed successful this community, there’s truthful overmuch anticipation and truthful overmuch imaginable that everyone is unlocking present that they’re giving radical with down syndrome the accidental and the close tools to win successful life. I conscionable privation the assemblage astatine ample to recognize that it’s not thing to look down on, it’s not going to beryllium a bittersweet beingness oregon a bittersweet future. We’re truly excited and we cognize that Amelia’s aboriginal volition beryllium agleam conscionable similar each of her friends with down syndrome,” said Abadin.

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“Love you baby, bask your babe first. When it’s clip for you to beryllium connected you volition cognize that. We’re going to beryllium sitting present waiting for you,” said Revels.

More than 2,000 radical person signed up for the Buddy Walk and the DSAJ says determination volition be carnival rides, look coating and more.

Click here for much accusation connected this year’s Buddy Walk oregon to find Down syndrome resources successful our area.

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