HEWITT, Texas — Tuesday, March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day and some Central Texans came together to celebrate and spread awareness.
On Sunday, March 19, it was all smiles at the 9th Annual Heart of Texas Walk for Down Syndrome.
"It's been really sweet to see the community come together," Lucy Freeman, Heart of Texas Down Syndrome Network (HOTDSN) member and first-time walker, said. "Especially families of individuals with down syndrome."
It was a day full of Zumba, laughs and a community walk, all for World Down Syndrome Day.
President of the Heart of Texas Down Syndrome Network Alice Kingston moved to Texas in 2008. She has an 18-year-old son with down syndrome who serves as her inspiration and her "why".
"There was nothing happening in Waco, so we started the group back in 2009 or 2010," Kingston said. "We kept running into people and families of kids with down syndrome and they kept saying 'Hey, there's nothing in the community, we need something here' so."
Next thing Kingston knew, hundreds of people were walking to spread awareness.
"The particular day where we are doing it is close to World Down Syndrome Day which is on March 21 everywhere to represent the 21st chromosome," Kingston said.
Many of these individuals have that 21st chromosome, including one baby whose family is walking for the very first time.
"Going to school, I didn't interact with people with down syndrome very much and now my baby has down syndrome," Walker Freeman, Lucy Freeman's husband, HOTDSN member and first-time walker, said. "So, there's really not a better community to be a part of, I mean everybody is looking out for everybody and enjoys getting to be around everybody."
This family has finally found the community that they've been looking for.
"We went through a lot with the diagnosis and then she had heart surgery," Freeman said. "We found other families who have been through the same things and now their babies are healthy and walking and talking. So, it's very encouraging to see what the future looks like."
This was the first walk since the COVID pandemic, and it's safe to say Hewitt Park was filled with smiles.
KCEN Related Stories: