Monroe Resident Shares Daughter's Story on World Down Syndrome Day

March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day and Monroe resident Natalia Abdalah shared the story of her daughter, Sophia.

Sophia was born on Nov. 4, 2008 and is currently a student at Monroe Elementary School.

“We didn’t know till the day after she was born that she had Down syndrome,” Abdalah wrote in an email to Monroe Patch. “It was very hard to accept and understand at first but today we wouldn’t change anything about her.”

World Down Syndrome Day is a global awareness day, which has been observed by the United Nations since 2012, according to the official website for the awareness day.

“The internet is a powerful tool for raising awareness and we encourage people to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day through your own websites, blogs and social networking sites. However, we want to create a single meeting place where everyone can share their experiences and advertise their activities,” the website states.

Through the dedicated website, you can register and share details of your activities with the global community.

Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition, with one in every 691 babies in the United States is born with Down syndrome, according to the National Down Syndrome Society.

“We do not define Sophia by her disability, she is more alike than different,” Abdalah wrote. “Sophia and other individuals with disabilities just want to be treated equally. For those of you that know Sophia you know that she is the happiest, funniest, most loving little girl who brightens the room with her smile and loves to give hugs.”

To learn more facts about Down syndrome, visit the National Down Syndrome Society website.

Image via Natalia Abdalah

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