The Buddy Walk was established in 1995 as a way to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month, as well as to encourage acceptance and inclusion of people who have Down syndrome. For our family, the Buddy Walk is a big deal. It’s a time to be with people we love, and who we know love Daniel just the way he is. It is an amazing and humbling event. And it’s also a ton of fun.
This year was our second official walk. (In 2011 we did on our own in the hospital, as Daniel was recovering from open heart surgery.) Here are the highlights of this year’s walk…in no particular order:
The 5K run! Grandma and Grandpa convinced Emily and Josh to run, and they both did it!! I am so proud of them!
Freedom!!
Talking in the tube thingy on the playground! (This picture just melts me. This kid LOVES his daddy, and Daddy loves his boy.)
HORSES!! HORSES!! HORSES!! I’m going to have to get this on video some day. Daniel goes absolutely crazy for horses. He neighs, signs “horse” and nearly takes off in a dead sprint to get to them if he can. If it was up to him, we would have spent our entire day on the wagon ride!
Grandma! And the swing!!
Cheetos and frozen yogurt totally made the list too. Hey, we love our food!!
Aside from a cool breeze, it was a gorgeous day all around. Three years ago I never would have imagined spending my Saturday morning taking part in this activity. Not that I wouldn’t want to, I just didn’t think I had a reason to. Now that I have experienced it, I know what I was missing out on all those years. I can’t even begin to explain what the Buddy Walk means to the loved ones of people with Down syndrome. Put it on your list of things to do. I promise it will fill your bucket!
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