By Jenna Babyak SYRACUSE, N.Y. Three-twenty-one is not just today’s date — it represents Down Syndrome, a condition in which a child has three copies of chromosome 21, instead of two. Gigi’s Playhouse, the local Down Syndrome achievement center, held a celebration for World Down Syndrome Day at the Destiny Mall in Syracuse.
In the middle of the first floor, a small girl in a long yellow dress spins in circles, dancing to the music with a wide smile on her face. Her name is Zoe Anna Thayer, and she is your typical four-year-old.
“She loves to dance,” said Jennifer Thayer, Zoe Anna’s mother. “She loves to color, she loves playing with her friends, she goes to school.”
Zoe Anna has Down Syndrome, but Jennifer says she’s just like any other child. She loves chicken nuggets, french fries, and ice cream. She takes the school bus every morning. She wants to be friends with everyone.
“They want to be included just like everybody else,” said Jennifer.
Sarah Stewart, a 31-year-old woman with Down Syndrome, wants people to understand what her condition is.
“It’s not any sickness, it’s not any disease,” she said. “It’s just part of you.”
She’s deal with her fair share of bullies and people who don’t treat her equally as an adult.
“I do get offended easily,” she said. “When people try to make fun or if anybody says anything that is rude, then I’m a very sensitive person. I take things to heart.”
The activites at today’s celebration are components of the programs Gigi’s Playhouse offers. Individuals learn helpful skills — and don’t even realize it because of how much fun they’re having.
“The bead-making, making the bracelets, is a lot of the fine motor, having to string the beads onto a piece of string,” said Sara LaValle, site coordinator for GiGi’s Playhouse. “The basketball hoop, that’s a lot of the gross motor. Fine motor and gross motor are areas that a lot of individuals with Down Syndrome struggle with.”
Bill Alsid, a 46-year-old man with Down Syndrome, is a very involved volunteer at GiGi’s Playhouse. He wants any family that is new to the Syracuse area, or any family that isn’t aware of what GiGi’s Playhouse is, to come in and try their programs and activities.
“Just feel free to come over and have some fun with us,” he said with a smile.
