The appearance in the family of a child with special needs - with special needs, handicapped or multiple violations - a gloomy lottery of fate, from which no one is immune. AT last years society turns its face to families with such children, is engaged in their social integration.
These processes are also taking place in Russia, albeit unevenly; in the fall of 2017, a certain lady on television reported that "special children" are born from "drunken conceptions", which is both factually false and insulting. In response, a flash mob #yanealkash began on social networks, in which the mothers and fathers of the children told about their families. Among celebrities, there are also many such families. We invite you to read about them.
Evelina Bledans
Actress and TV presenter Evelina Bledans is raising her son Semyon with Down syndrome. Bledans became the first Russian celebrity who openly and proudly declared that she had " sunny baby". She participates in the work of a specialized charitable foundation, works with her son and says a lot in an interview that raising a special baby is not a sentence, but simply different living conditions. In 2017, Evelina Bledans divorced her husband, but this, according to her, did not affect the child in any way.Danko
Singer Danko is married to model Natalya Ustyumenko. The couple is raising two daughters, and the youngest Agatha was born with cerebral palsy - children's cerebral palsy. There were complications during childbirth. The result was a difficult diagnosis. The editors of uznayvse.ru clarifies that Danko does not live with his family, but regularly visits his wife and children. Natalya devotes almost all her time to rehabilitation classes with her youngest daughter. 
Irina Khakamada
The second child - daughter Masha - Irina Khakamada gave birth at the age of 42. As it sometimes happens, she had a girl with Down syndrome. It was in 1997, so in the maternity hospital Khakamada was persuaded to abandon the child. However, conditions in Russian orphanages are such that the mother decided not to leave the girl. AT adolescence Masha suffered from leukemia, but she was saved. In 2017, the girl turned 20 years old, she has a boyfriend - a young man with the same diagnosis. 
Anna Netrebko
Opera diva Anna Netrebko gave birth to her son Thiago in 2008 in Vienna. The boy's mother noticed something was wrong by his three years, when Thiago still did not begin to speak. It was only then that doctors diagnosed him with a mild form of ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). Anna decided to find specialists abroad, and not in Russia, and took her son to New York - the field of therapy and integration of such children is well developed in the USA. 
Sergei Belogolovtsev
TV presenter Sergei Belogolovtsev's youngest son Zhenya was born significantly ahead of time and with heart failure. In addition, after the operation, he developed cerebral palsy. For several years, the parents hid the diagnosis of their son from the press and the public, but later they spoke about the features of Zhenya. The young man himself graduated from a school for gifted children (with cerebral palsy often the intellect remains intact) and hosts the TV show "Various News" on one of the TV channels. 
Tatyana Yumasheva
The daughter of the first President of Russia Boris Yeltsin, Tatyana, gave birth to a son, Gleb, in 1995. The boy was born with Down syndrome. For many years, the press did not report the features of the child in order to divert unsolicited attention from the family. However, the editors of the site note that Tatyana Yumasheva recently wrote about her son herself - she said that Gleb swims well, remembers and loves many pieces of music, and also plays chess well. 
Lolita Milyavskaya
Rumors about the features of Lolita's daughter, born in marriage to Alexander Tsekalo, began to circulate almost from the moment she was born. They also wrote that she had Down syndrome, and that the girl was autistic. Lolita Milyavskaya herself denied these speculations. According to the singer, born in 1999, Eva was born very premature, and her features are connected precisely with this. At birth, the girl weighed a little over one and a half kilos, she barely managed to get out. 
Konstantin Meladze
The son of producer Konstantin Meladze was born in 2005 and until recently the family hid that the boy was diagnosed with autism. Details difficult life the boy's mother told the autist only after her divorce from her husband (Konstantin left Yana for the singer Vera Brezhneva). According to her, parents should not repeat her mistakes and consult doctors as early as possible - if ASD is diagnosed in time, the ability to compensate for it is much higher (at the same time, we note that in Russia for a long time children under three years of age were not diagnosed with autism in principle). 
Svetlana Bondarchuk
The daughter of Fyodor Bondarchuk and his wife Svetlana lives away from her parents in London. According to Svetlana Bondarchuk, she studies and undergoes rehabilitation there. British specialists in working with special children suit the couple more than domestic ones. The girl Varya was born in 2001 a little ahead of schedule, the peculiarities of her development are connected with this. 
Raising a child with special needs is not an easy task, even for parents with opportunities. However, it also happens that quite ordinary children of stars do not stand the test of parental glory and indulge in all serious. We invite you to read about the most unlucky children Russian celebrities.
Subscribe to our channel in Yandex.Zen
Once upon a time, the diagnosis of "Down's syndrome" sounded like a sentence, but over the years, society has adapted to these special people. Some of them managed to become famous and succeed, proving that Down syndrome is not a sentence, and people who have it are not doomed, reports.
People with Down Syndrome become artists, lawyers, actors, models, athletes, and restaurateurs. The main thing is desire, hope, endurance, strength and, of course, the support of caring people.
It should be noted that the International Day of a Person with Down Syndrome began to be celebrated in 2006 at the suggestion of the Greek geneticist Stylianos Antonarakis from the University of Geneva. At the VI International Symposium on Down Syndrome, held in Palma de Mallorca, at the initiative of the boards of the European and World Down Syndrome Associations, it was decided to declare March 21 International Down Syndrome Day.
The twenty-first day of the third month was not chosen by chance, since Down syndrome is associated with 3 copies of the 21st chromosome (trisomy on the 21st chromosome).
REFERENCE. Down syndrome is a chromosomal anomaly, which is characterized by an additional, 21 chromosome - complete (trisomy 21) or partial (due to translocation). Such people have 47 chromosomes in the karyotype instead of the usual 46. They have a characteristic appearance, an increased possibility of a certain range of diseases (for example, congenital malformations of the cardiovascular system, acquired malformations of the sensory system), a certain mental retardation, as a result of which there is a slower mental development against the background of healthy individuals and the worst social adaptation.
Due to the impossibility of a complete treatment of the problems of this anomaly, medicine aims not to provide permanent treatment, but to ensure a normal social status for people with Down syndrome.
FACTS. According to WHO statistics, every 700th child in the world is born with Down syndrome. This ratio is the same in different countries, climatic zones and social strata. Genetic failure occurs regardless of the lifestyle of parents, their health, habits and education.
It is known that the risk of having a child with Down syndrome depends on the age of the mother. For women under the age of 25, the probability of having a sick child is 1/1400, up to 30 - 1/1000, at 35 years old the risk increases to 1/350, at 42 years old - up to 1/60, and at 49 years old - up to 1/1000. 12. However, because young women in general give birth to significantly more children, the majority (80%) of all children with Down syndrome were actually born by young women under the age of 30.
50 percent of babies have congenital anomalies of the heart, stomach and intestines. Previously, they lived up to 40 years, because these diseases were not treated. Now life expectancy is 60-65 years.
They easily fall in love and never betray, often create families. Children in such families are not born, almost all men with Down syndrome are infertile. In women, pregnancy ends in miscarriage or premature birth.
There are many jobs in the US designed specifically for people with Down Syndrome. T Some people work as waiters in a cafe, repair shoes. It is beneficial for them to entrust work that requires a scrupulous approach - laying out literature in the library, delivering mail. It is difficult for such people to find work in Ukraine.
FAMOUS AND SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE WITH DOWN SYNDROME
Raymond Hu artist
In California, USA, lives 30-year-old artist Raymond Hu. He paints using the Chinese technique, ink and watercolor on rice paper. Raymond draws portraits of animals - lions, tigers, lizards, elephants, fish, turtles, dogs. His works are in demand, they are even exhibited at various auctions.
Artist Michael Jurgue Johnson
Another artist from the USA, Illinois, Jurgue Johnson Michael was born with Down syndrome, but this does not prevent him from creating real works of art. Among his works are portraits, images of animals, landscapes. In order to be able to help his family, he draws not only on his own inspiration, but also fulfills orders.
The man has a website where he exhibits his work and takes orders. Participated in many competitions and exhibitions.
Actress, athlete and lawyer Paula Sage
Paula Sage was born in Scotland in 1980. The disease did not prevent her from acting in several films, for example, for her role in the British film "After Life", she received a BAFTA award in the category "Best Film Debut", plays professional netball and became successful lawyer. Paula provides legal support to two international funds- Ann Craft and Mancap.
Teacher and athlete Karen Gafney
The 37-year-old woman graduated from high school, continued her education, and in 2001 received a certificate as a teaching assistant from Community College in Portland.
She also runs a non-profit organization that helps children with disabilities adapt to society, in particular, those with Down syndrome. Despite being paralyzed left leg She became the first person with Down Syndrome to swim across the English Channel. After that, Gaffney set several more records, became the gold medalist of the Paralympic Games.
Karen swam 9 miles in Lake Tahoe in 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 15 C. She was the first person with Down syndrome to do so.
Actor, teacher and social activist Pablo Pineda
Spanish actor who won the Silver Shell at the 2009 San Sebastian Film Festival for Best Actor in Me Too. He lives in Malaga and works in the municipality and also teaches. Pablo has several diplomas: a teacher, a bachelor of arts and a diploma in educational psychology. When he returned to Malaga from San Sebastian, where he received the prize, the mayor of the city, Francisco de la Torre, presented him with the "Shield of the City" award.
Pablo is the first person in Europe with Down syndrome to receive university education. He gave the advantage of teaching, leaving the profession of an actor.
Musician and composer Ronald Jenkins
At the age of 6, Ronald received a synthesizer for Christmas. It was on this instrument that he learned to play simple melodies, and played with friends. At school, he played in the Marching band, and because he couldn't play from sheet music, the bandleader allowed Jankis to write his own piano parts, "playing along" at town shows.
Subsequently, he became a successful composer and musician. Many connoisseurs of electronic music consider Ronald a genius. Since 2003, under the pseudonym "Big Cheez", he began to upload his melodies to the network. In 2006, Jenkys began posting his videos on YouTube. The 28-year-old musician is now a YouTube star.
His online videos quickly gained popularity, but the turning point was an invitation from the sports site ESPN.com to record a theme for a podcast. A year later, Ronald released his first studio album - Ronald Jenkees.
Restaurateur Tim Harris
Tim Harris is a successful restaurateur. He owns Tim's Place, "the friendliest restaurant in the world", which offers visitors, in addition to traditional dishes, Tim's free hugs. Since the restaurant opened in 2010, Tim has hugged more than 22 thousand people.
Actress Stephanie Ginz
Stephanie Ginz became the first actress with Down syndrome in the history of cinema. Stephanie starred in her first film, Duo, at the age of 12. The film became a real sensation. In 1996, "Duo" received numerous awards, including the Academy Award, the Chicago International Film Festival, the Wasserman Award for Best Cinematography, as well as awards from Warner Brothers and Martin Scorsese.
Model Madeline Stewart
20-year-old Australian Madeleine Stewart made her big catwalk debut as a model in September 2015. Since then, the girl with Down syndrome has become a popular model: she is constantly invited to participate in fashion shows by famous designers, and popular brands offer models to appear in their commercials. In 2016, Madeleine again became the star of New York Fashion Week.
Ukrainian Instagram star Sofia Sanchez, which supports children with Down syndrome worldwide
Jennifer and Hector Sanchez adopted a Ukrainian girl when she was just over a year old. The Sanchez family's own son also has Down syndrome.
“We were able to give our boy a sister who understands him, and they can go their own way together,” Jennifer explained her act.
Sophia, on her own initiative, became a protector special people showing how much they love life. Sofia already goes to school, travels with her family and actively spends her leisure time. She became popular thanks to a video in which she says that being sick with Down syndrome is not scary, and everyone who has it is special.
Down syndrome is a common genetic anomaly. It is congenital and manifests itself in the presence of one extra chromosome. At the same time, the way of life of parents, ecological situation, climate and other conditions do not affect this process in any way. And there is no one's fault in the appearance of an extra chromosome. Children with Down syndrome have a number of features, as a result of which their development is slightly behind their peers, but practice shows that parental love and patience work wonders and children learn to do everything that children can do without an extra chromosome.
Today, people with Down syndrome are not excluded from society. They live the same life: study, work, act in commercials and films, do charity work. They become a real role model, because they show that there is no need to despair and lose heart under any circumstances.
We invite you to learn the stories of 10 people with Down syndrome who have proven that barriers do not exist. Perhaps, inspired by their example, you will stop blaming evil fate for your failures and finally realize the most daring and ambitious plans!
Andrey Vostrikov
Andrey Vostrikov is a six-time Special Olympics champion. The young man is from Voronezh. He is professionally engaged in gymnastics and serves as an example for young people. Andrew regularly visits international competitions and leads a very active and interesting life.
Pablo Pineda
Many people with Down syndrome find themselves in the arts. Pablo Pineda is no exception. Today he is a successful Spanish actor. In 2009, Pablo received the Silver Shell at the San Sebastian Film Festival for his role in Me Too, where he played a teacher with Down syndrome. Pablo lives in Malaga and works in the local municipality.
Sergey Makarov
Sergey Makarov is an actor with Down syndrome. He plays in the Theater of the Innocent. As a child, they did not want to take Sergei to school, but in 2004 the man became the movie hero of the year at the Stalker international festival. He always purposefully walked towards his dream and never turned around to someone else's opinion.
Maria Nefedova
Maria Nefedova lives in Moscow. Until recently, she was the only employed person with Down syndrome in Russia. Maria works at Downside Up. She is an educator's assistant and helps run group classes for children with Down's Syndrome. In her free time, the girl is busy in the productions of the Theater of the Innocent and plays the flute.
Stephanie Ginz
Stephanie Ginz - famous actress. Down syndrome has never prevented her from realizing herself in creativity. Even in her youth, Stephanie participated in theatrical productions and starred in commercials. At the dawn of his acting career the girl starred in the film "Duo", which was awarded many awards. To a wide audience, Stephanie is known for her role in American Horror Story.
Bogdan Kravchuk
Bohdan Kravchuk became the first person in Ukraine with Down syndrome who entered higher education educational institution. Bogdan is very erudite: he knows English, remembers by heart the capitals of almost all countries of the world and significant data from the history of Ukraine, he owns a computer. When entering the university, the young man scored 160 out of 200 possible points.
Karen Gaffney
Karen Gaffney is a glamorous athlete with Down syndrome. Despite a paralyzed left leg, Karen managed to swim the English Channel and set a world record. She also became the gold champion of the Paralympic Games. In her free time, Karen is involved in charity work and runs a non-profit organization that helps children with disabilities.
Tim Harris
Tim Harris natural feature did not stop her from starting her own business. His restaurant "Tim's Place" was recognized as the friendliest restaurant not only in the United States, but throughout the world. The restaurant's signature dish is Tim's Embrace. The young restaurateur during the existence of his business managed to personally hug more than 60 thousand people.
Miguel Tomasin
Miguel Thomasin is a special person. He was born with Down syndrome, but he managed to achieve success in the musical field. Often referred to as the guru of experimental music. Miguel plays drums in his own band, regularly performs at schools and centers for sick children, covers songs of his favorite musicians.
Paula Sage
Paula Sage was born in Scotland. The girl leads an active social and professional life. She works as a lawyer and provides legal support to two international organizations- AnnCap and Mancap. Paula also plays netball and sometimes starred in documentaries and feature films. For her role in After Life, she received a BAFTA award for Best Feature Film Debut.
People with Down syndrome differ from us in only one extra chromosome. Society should do everything so that they can feel comfortable in society, and do not treat them with prejudice. They can study, work and start their own business!
It is still shrouded in myths and prejudices. Many are convinced that Down syndrome is a profound mental retardation or a rare disease that needs to be treated. That such children are born to alcoholics and drug addicts and will never appear to young and healthy parents. That people with Down syndrome are unteachable, aggressive or, conversely, always happy with everything. That it is better for children with Down syndrome to grow up in specialized closed institutions and that they do not belong among ordinary children ...
Such myths can be listed for a long time. But is it necessary? After all, like all conjectures, they arise only from a lack of information.
Facts
Down syndrome is the most common genetic disorder. It cannot be “cured” and it cannot be “infected”, because it is not a disease. But people with Down syndrome often have reduced immunity and a range of comorbidities, and their life expectancy, on average, is less than that of others. Every 700th child in the world is born with Down syndrome. This ratio does not depend on the nationality of the parents, nor on their health, lifestyle or wealth.
It is indeed more difficult for children with Down syndrome to develop than their ordinary peers. But with the support of the family and the help of specialists, they, like all kids in the world, can learn to walk and talk, read and write, draw and ride a bike, play music or sports, go to kindergarten or school. And they can also be friends, get carried away, fall in love, be happy and make others happy. Like any of us, each person with Down syndrome is unique. He has his own character, his own abilities, his own interests. A person with Down syndrome can become a famous athlete, like Andrey Vostrikov and Maria Langovaya, an actor, like Pablo Pineda and Sergey Makarov, an artist like Raymond Hu or assistant teacher Maria Nefedova. Or just someone's - and yours too - a child, friend, neighbor, acquaintance. And, of course, he deserves respect at least for the fact that he overcomes daily difficulties that are not familiar to us.
Yesterday and today
Unfortunately, not everyone knows about this. Therefore, even today in Moscow, almost every second child with Down syndrome is abandoned by parents at birth. In other cities, the percentage of refusals ranges from 20 to 80. And even 15-16 years ago, only five percent of such children got into their families! other countries. Not on the streets, not in transport, not in cafes, not in offices. While abroad, a person with special needs can easily turn out to be your postman, waiter, hotel administrator, child's classmate or office colleague. In our country, for many years, people with Down syndrome practically did not have the opportunity to leave the system: a maternity hospital - a hospital - a specialized children's home - a specialized institution for adults.
However, few survived to the end. After all, the orphan system destroys even the strongest and healthiest. What can we say about babies with reduced immunity and developmental features ...
The same units that ended up in the family still ended up in isolation: they were not taken to kindergartens and schools, other children were taken aside at the playgrounds, they looked askance on the street ...
What has changed today? Many things: kindergartens and schools have appeared that are ready to accept children with Down syndrome - both correctional and ordinary, inclusive. The media and famous people willingly talked about Down syndrome, and the parents of special children stopped hiding the diagnosis from relatives and friends. There are more specialists - doctors, teachers, psychologists - who know the truth about the potential of children with Down syndrome. And most importantly, the Downside Up Russian charitable foundation has appeared, which has been promoting these changes for 16 years. Yes, a lot has changed. But not all. Indeed, as before, in maternity hospitals it sometimes sounds: “The child has Down syndrome. Write a refusal - still give birth to a healthy one. Although changes are taking place here too: last fall, Olga Golodets instructed the Ministry of Health to pay attention to such cases and recommended that doctors stop advising parents to abandon children for health reasons. As before, people thoughtlessly use the word "down" as an insult, not being afraid to hurt someone's feelings and not thinking about the fact that this is, in fact, the name of a doctor. As before, myths often replace facts. As before, cases of adoption of children with Down syndrome in Russia are very rare... But in other countries, the attitude towards people with special needs has not changed overnight. It just happened a few decades earlier than ours.
Make a step
Any, even the longest road begins with a small step. If you are reading this article, then you have already done it. And I'll tell you a story. One of the thousands. I think that after reading it, you will no longer laugh at the rude joke “about downs”. Or maybe you will take even more important steps - about them at the end of the article.
Nastya and Lesha. She was 19, he was 23. A beautiful young couple. Unplanned but happy pregnancy. Excellent results of all tests and examinations. The long-awaited birth of a daughter. And silence.
“All the doctors suddenly fell silent. I saw that they were bending over her and did not understand what was happening, ”recalls Nastya. Later, the pediatrician told Nastya that the newborn girl was suspected of having Down syndrome. A blood test is needed to confirm.
“But don’t worry,” the doctor added cheerfully. “After all, there are defective toys - you can take them back to the store.” The world swayed and shrunk to the size of a microscopic particle called a chromosome. 46 or 47 chromosomes? All life now depended on it.
Anastasia waited a week for the test results. Each of these days will remain in her memory forever. Children were brought to other mothers for feeding, but she didn’t: “Why do you need it? You'll get used to it!.." Wherever she went: to the procedures, to the corridor, she heard: “Urgently refuse, this is a freak. Have you seen her diagnosis? Young - you will give birth to others. And then the husband will leave, and the friends will all turn away, you will be left alone, and even with such a burden. Barely recovered from childbirth, not having the opportunity to meet with her relatives, she approached the children's room, peered into her tiny face. Doctors told her: “Look, everything is written on her face!”. And Nastya saw a small child - with rosy cheeks, huge blue eyes and blond hairs, standing like a "mohawk" on the top of the head ...
She already knew it was Dasha. After all, that's the name they gave her when she was in her stomach. Daughter Dashenka is the most beloved, the happiest ...
There was a discharge department under the window of Nastya's ward. And every day she saw through the window how joyful mothers come out with children in their arms, how their relatives meet them ... Nastya could communicate with her family only by video phone. As shocked and confused as she was, they didn't know what to say. Everyone was waiting for the test results. Meanwhile, the doctors, it turns out, personally met with each of them in turn: with her husband, mother, mother-in-law. And, like Nastya, they were told terrible forecasts: “This is not a child, but a vegetable in the garden: he will never go, he will not speak, he will not recognize any of you. And in general, he will die in your hands. Bring it home and die." A week later, confirmation came that Dasha had Down syndrome. On the same day, without consulting Nastya, the relatives removed all the children's things from the house - a stroller, a crib, the first tiny clothes ... And a little later, under the constant pressure of doctors and in the presence of a lawyer, Nastya and Lesha wrote a refusal from the child. Each separately, because they never had the opportunity to meet and talk with the whole family. The lawyer woman was very lively and cheerful: “Well, we found something to grieve about! Young, healthy, give birth to a dozen more and forget everything, how horrible dream". Dasha's parents met only when Nastya left the doors of that same discharge department. One.
They told friends and acquaintances that the child had died. And tried to live as before. “We were able to pretend to others, even to each other. But in front of myself ... Then I was ready to go to any job, do anything - just not to think ... ". Nastya still remembers her first visit to the orphanage. They went along with Lyosha - and from the street they heard children's crying. For some reason, it immediately became clear that this was Dasha. She lay in the infectious box and cried - her leg was stuck between the slats of the crib. She could not get her out, and there was no one to help - there were not enough staff for everyone ... Then it was already easier to come, they got used to it. It was harder to leave. “She lay and looked at us. And we had to turn away from this look and leave ... ".
love syndrome
Once Nastya realized that next time she simply wouldn’t be able to leave like that - without Dasha. The doctors said that you can take the child home for the weekend. Then Nastya took a vacation and took her daughter for a whole month. “When we were dressing her, the nanny decided that we, as usual, dress for a walk. And when she suddenly realized that we were taking her home for a visit, she suddenly burst into tears: “Lord, if only you, Dasha, would never come back here again!” The nanny did not know that her words would be prophetic. However, no one knew this at the time. And Lyosha was categorically against taking the child even temporarily. To visit, to somehow help - yes, but not to take on such responsibility. They even agreed that they would live separately this month: Nastya and Dasha with their mother, and Lyosha with theirs.
All month Nastya was waiting for other doctors' predictions to come true: when friends and relatives would start to turn away, when they would point fingers at her daughter. But everything was different: the whole family immediately fell in love with Dasha, and her husband came every weekend and fiddled with her. On the street, it was no longer Nastya who looked longingly into other people's carriages, but they looked into her carriage with the words: “Oh, what a miracle! So glorious!" During this month, one-year-old Dasha, who upon arrival home could only lie down, learned to sit down on her own and walk by the arms, she changed a lot ... Meanwhile, the month was coming to an end. "Can you get her back?" - once asked Nastya's mother. Of course, Nastya could not. But Lyosha could not change his mind either. She persuaded him for a long time, citing a variety of arguments: “I just can’t give it away now. She needs at least support, let her get stronger ... ". But then I realized that you can not demand from a person what he cannot give. “The innate maternal instinct spoke in me, which Lesha could not have. And I didn’t have time for disputes and insults: I had to raise a child. ” Lyosha and Nastya officially divorced. Later, Lyosha will remember this - the rejection of Dasha and the divorce - as the biggest mistake in his life. However, he still continued to visit Nastya and her daughter and help them.
Dasha grew and developed. Nastya is already used to the fact that even doctors, seeing her, are amazed: “And this is a child with Down syndrome ?! But we didn’t even know that this was possible, we were taught quite differently ... ” But still, the first place where she heard the words: “What a wonderful child you have!” was the Center early development Downside Up Foundation. Nastya accidentally found out about him from other parents, came with two-year-old Dasha to classes - and realized that she had begun new life. “It was there that I finally began to“ let go ”. And not only me, but also Lyosha, because he also came with us. There we saw other parents, other children - both small and grown up - and were finally convinced that this was not scary. We saw how much work is being done to help us, and we realized that we are not alone.”
Dasha recently turned 15 years old. Having completed her studies at Downside Up at the age of seven, she studies at a regular school, on the basis of which a specialized class for children with special needs was created: they take part of the subjects together with all the rest, and Russian and mathematics - according to an easier program. She has a big loving family: mother, father, grandmother, great-grandmother, beloved younger sister Anechka.
At the invitation of the First Lady of Great Britain, Dasha went to London to light the lights on the Christmas tree, took part in photography for the Love Syndrome calendar, and talked to journalists and celebrities. She is very polite and caring, it is easy and pleasant to work with her. Dasha finds mutual language with everyone, but with special tenderness she treats children and the elderly, who answer her in the same way. Nastya thinks that Dashina future profession will be about caring for people. And nothing that so far in our country people with Down syndrome have practically no employment opportunities. This is next step and one day we will definitely do it.
After all, if until recently the only officially employed person with Down syndrome in Russia was Maria Nefedova, an assistant teacher at Downside Up, now everyone has learned the story of Nikita Panichev, who works as an assistant cook in one of the Moscow coffee houses. And recently, a case of employment of a person with Down syndrome occurred in Omsk - a young man, 20-year-old Alexander Belov, began working as a cleaner to prove that special people can also be useful to society. Well, at the same time save money for a course of dolphin therapy and new jeans.
And Nastya and Lyosha are still together. They began to live as a family soon after Dasha went to classes at Downside Up. And after some time they got married again. This time - getting married in the church. Parents still come to their house and call, faced with the same situation and do not know what to do. Nastya and Lyosha firmly made it a rule not to convince or persuade anyone of anything. They only tell their story: only the facts, hiding nothing. Of course, more than once Nastya was asked the question: “Have you ever regretted your decision to take the child?”. You can probably ask it only without seeing them all together: Nastya, Lyosha, Dasha, Anya ...
But Nastya simply replies: “No, not once. The only thing I regret even now is that I didn’t take it right away, that we didn’t live the first year together. And then, as soon as I brought Dasha home, although it was difficult and scary, somehow it immediately became clear: it was bad before, but now everything is fine.
How to help special people?
Several ways to make March 21 a really special day, and the life of special people - ordinary:
— donate a lesson, a package of specialized literature or a home visit of a specialist to children with special needs>>
- put on an orange tie, scarf or neckerchief in support of people who are also called "sunny" - and tell others about this day.
smile at a special person.
After all, people with special needs suffer the most not because of the state of health, but from the prejudices of others.
More recently, people with Down syndrome were perceived as an exceptionally unhealthy segment of the population who cannot independently cope with their affairs, study and work on an equal basis with everyone else and be a full-fledged member of society. But today the situation has changed radically, and many famous people with Down syndrome have proven that they can achieve great success in life, despite the terrible verdict of doctors.
What is Down Syndrome
Down syndrome, or trisomy, is a genetic anomaly caused by the appearance of an extra chromosome in 21 pairs. That is, if the normal number of chromosomes is 46, then 47 chromosomes are formed in a person with a syndrome.
This pathology occurs in 1 out of 700 newborns. However, if a woman is over 35, and a man is over 45, then this statistic changes significantly and then it is already 1 to 20.
People of the sun - who are they?
Such people are characterized by a Mongoloid incision of the eyes, which is why this disease was previously called "Mongolism". As well as a flattened back of the head, skin folds at the corners of the eyes, an open mouth or strongly lowered corners of the mouth, a short neck and limbs. In addition, these children have a severely weakened immune system and there is a developmental delay.
Nevertheless, it has been observed that children with Down syndrome are very affectionate, cheerful, kind and patient. They do not know how to hate, lie, envy or harm others. Therefore, they are called "special", or "children of the sun."
Extraordinary Actors
Today, actors with Down syndrome are no longer the same amazing story as one might imagine before. There are at least two dozen actors with this anomaly, but it did not prevent them from becoming famous.
- Liam Bairstow. He played the role of Alex in the series "Coronation Street".
- Jamie Brewer. The actress became famous for her role as Adelaide in the TV series " American history horrors."
- Luke Zimmerman. Played Tom Bowman in the TV series " secret life American teenager.
- Lauren Potter. The actress became famous after her role as Becky in the TV show "Glee" (Glee).
- Chris Burke. The actor appeared in the film "Desperado", where he was noticed by the producers of the series "Life Goes On" and invited to leading role.
- Pascal Duquenn. Belgian actor who played in the film "The Eighth Day" and received an award at the Cannes Film Festival.
- Sara Gordy. British model, actress and singer. She played Pamela Holland in the series Up and Down Stairs.
- David DeSanctis. Got the role of Produce in famous movie"Where the Dream Lives"
- Richard Beckett. The British actor starred in the TV series No Offense.
- The Spanish actor gained popularity after the movie Me Too.
The world also knows such actors as E. Barbanell, T. Jessop, S. Brandon, T. Barella, A. Friedman, K. Garcia, E. House, D. Laurie, K. Nausbaum, D. Stevens and others.
To sports with a smile
No less famous people with Down syndrome have joined the ranks of athletes.
- Karen Gaffney. The girl's leg is paralyzed, but this does not prevent her from participating in competitive swims. She swam across the English Channel at 15 o C, 14 km. In addition, Karen is a disability rights activist and the first person to receive a PhD in humanities with Down Syndrome. She also became the owner of gold at the Paralympic Games several times and founded a foundation that helps people with disabilities.
- Paula Sage. Participated in the Paralympic netball games. In addition to sports, he actively acts in films and practices law in the interests of people with Down syndrome.
- Aylen Barreiro. The young girl is a professional dancer. Participates in competitions on an equal basis with other participants. She has been doing rhythmic gymnastics for many years, has incredible plasticity and energy.
Successful and strong people
And now we will talk about the most successful and famous people with Down syndrome in the world.
- Judith Scott. This woman's story is amazing. She was born with a twin sister. However, the sister was absolutely healthy, while Judith herself turned out to have Down syndrome.
Parents gave the girl at the age of 7 years to a shelter for the feeble-minded. There she spent 35 years of her life until her sister found her and took custody of her. The woman did not know how to read and write, no one took care of her. But one day, having got into courses of weaving from threads (fiber art), Judith was so carried away that she began to create sculptures from the first objects that came to hand.
Now she is no longer alive, but her creations are sold in the museum of outsider art, the price of which reaches 20 thousand dollars. Judith is one of the most famous people with Down syndrome.
- Raymond Hu. The California-based artist captivates art lovers with his Chinese-inspired paintings using rice paper, watercolor and ink. He depicts birds and animals, often drawing from nature.
- Ronald Jenkins. American musician. Composer of techno music, rock and roll, hip hop, etc. Electronic music lovers recognized him as a genius.
- Tim Harris. A restaurateur who owns the friendliest and most welcoming restaurant in the world. In addition to a delicious lunch or dinner, Tim's warm and sincere hugs await each visitor. By the way, even Barack Obama ordered these hugs.
- Madeline Stuart. Australian model, catwalk star. World designers and brands are just fighting for the girl. In 2016, she was the star of New York Fashion Week. Filmed for Vogue and became a designer.
- An artist who learned to paint on his own. Now he is a successful and very talented professional who has already had an exhibition at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
- Noelia Garella. A great teacher works in Argentina with kids from kindergarten. At first, not all parents were delighted that a girl with a similar disease was dealing with their children. But the joy of the children, their attachment to the teacher convinced them. The children themselves do not notice the peculiarities of their beloved teacher at all.
Famous people with Down syndrome in Russia
- More recently, a girl with Down syndrome was the only one who managed to get a job officially. Doctors offered to leave the girl in the hospital, but the parents did not. Maria's mother worked with her daughter, taught her to speak and read, walked with her in the forest, as the parents of the neighboring children did not want the girl to play with their offspring.
After being fired from kindergarten she became an actress at the Theater of the Innocent. The girl also plays the flute and helps to teach "sunny" kids in "Downside Up".
- Sergei Makarov. Colleague of Maria Nefedova in the theatrical workshop. He became the owner of the prize of the festival "Kinotavr" thanks to the film "Old Women", where he played Mikolka.
- Evgenia Dubrovskaya. Vologda artist and student of the College of Folk Crafts. Has the title "Student of the Year-2016".
- Bogdan Kovalchuk. The sunny boy lives in neighboring Ukraine. A very educated guy was the first in his homeland who entered the university with such a diagnosis. He is a computer virtuoso English language, he has an excellent memory for dates and names. Knows almost all the capitals of world states.
Russian will to win
The list of the most successful people with Down syndrome in Russia is replenished by our athletes.
- Leysan Zaripova. In Russia, she became the first to have a license to teach Zumba-fitness dance. Received the Grand Prix award at the Inclusive Dance-2016 festival. And has the title of "Graceful Pearl of Tatarstan-2016".
- Andrey Vostrikov. The Voronezh guy became the absolute champion of the world and the Russian Federation in artistic gymnastics among people with disabilities. In the Paralympic Games Andrey took gold (4 medals) and silver (2 medals).
- Maria Longovaya. Swimming Paralympic Games winner. Won a gold, silver and bronze medal. When the parents gave the girl to the pool to improve their health, they did not even imagine that they were raising a future champion.
- Arina Kutepova. The only person in Russia with Down syndrome who became a candidate for master of sports. Her niche is gymnastics.
Sunny children from the West
Except adults famous people with Down syndrome, we would like to draw attention to the little ones.
- Max, son of actor John McGinley. The boy was diagnosed with Down syndrome. John loves his son very much and takes care of him all his free time from filming TV series. He calls to love these children and calls them "a miracle from God."
- Alvaro is the son of Spain's head coach Vicente del Bosque. This is a young 21 year old guy. And the whole team considers him their talisman.
Unusual children in Russia
Children with Down syndrome from famous people in Russia have always attracted a lot of attention.
- The actress is raising a wonderful 5-year-old boy, Semyon. She never hid him from the public, on the contrary, she constantly shares her son's successes and is very proud of him.
- “Both celebrities themselves and children with Down syndrome” - this is how they talk about Lolita Milyavskaya and Irina Khakamada in social networks.
Eva, Lolita's daughter, has poor eyesight. At first, Lolita hid her daughter's illness, but now she is trying to help her realize herself.
Masha, Irina's daughter, was born when her mother herself was 42 years old. Now she is studying abroad and is dating a guy with the same diagnosis.
All these stories of famous people with Down syndrome cannot leave humanity indifferent. These people prove every day that they deserve to be in society. Their incredible strength and lust for life are worthy of admiration and great respect.
