'Mayor' Helps Raise Awareness of Down Syndrome

For a few minutes this week, Doylestown Borough had a new mayor.

No, Mayor Libby White wasn't upset in a surprise election.

But Leo Flood did take over her chair during Monday night's Doylestown Borough Council meeting, much to the delight of the audience.

The adults were standing up and talking, but Leo didn't pay any mind. He strode away from his dad, climbed up the dais and settled himself in White's chair, as audience members smiled and clapped.

Leo is 5 and he has 47 chromosomes.

The extra chromosome (human beings usually have 46 chromosomes) causes a genetic condition known as Down Syndrome. While many people may hear that phrase and think of all the things Leo can't do, his parents want people to know what he can do.

So Joe and Susan Flood asked borough council members to name October Down Syndrome Awareness Month in Doylestown. On Monday night, council members voted unanimously to do so.

The resolution "encourages people to work together to promote respect and inclusion of individuals with Down syndrome and to celebrate their accomplishments and contributions."

October already is Down Syndrome Awareness Month nationwide, Joe Flood said Thursday. Buddy Walks are held around the country to raise awareness of the condition, including one at Villanova sponsored by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, where Leo was treated after he was born.

Flood said he hoped the local recognition will help Doylestown-area residents learn more about the condition.

"There are a lot of things people don't know about Down Syndrome, and a lot of things they think they know aren't true," Flood said.

Joining the Floods at Monday night's council meeting were Tish Grexa, of the Bucks County Intermediate Unit, and Diana Santoro, of the Bucks County Down Syndrome Interest Group.

Both have been wonderful resources for information and support, Joe Flood said.

Joe and Susan learned their baby had a heart defect when they went in for an ultrasound when Susan was 20 weeks pregnant. The doctor told them it was typical of a genetic defect. Further testing showed that the baby had a third copy of chromosome 21, a condition called Trisomy 21, known colloquially as Down Syndrome.

But a visit with Dr. Sharon Weil, a children's heart specialist, reassured the Floods that the baby's heart defect could be repaired through surgery.

After he was born, Leo was in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a week, and when he came home to join big sister Julia, he brought his own oxygen tanks. When he was four months old, he underwent surgery to fix the heart defect.

He was out of the ICU in two days, out of the hospital in five, and never looked back.

"We sometimes kid ourselves that the first four months of his life, he was resting up," Joe said. "Had we known what he'd be like, we would have rested up too."

The Floods often can be found walking through downtown Doylestown or at local events.

Leo loves visiting with friends new and old. His nickname was "the mayor" even before he took over Mayor White's chair on Monday.

And yes, Leo usually is smiling. But that doesn't mean he is always happy. People with Down Syndrome experience a full range of emotions.

"He's had his ups and his downs too. He's got a little bit of an attitude, but I kind of admire that. He's got moxie," his dad said.

Leo has been teaching his parents other lessons, too.

"We all have physical or mental challenges we have to overcome in our lives," Joe Flood said. "When you see people who have Down Syndrome overcome their challenges, you see they really can overcome and achieve great things."

The Bucks County Down Syndrome Interest Group brings together parents of children with Down Syndrome to support each other and share information and stories. For more information on the group, visit their website.