When Teri Terry decided to give her son, Ian, a treat on World Down Syndrome Day 12 years ago, she took him and several friends who also have Down syndrome to Mr. G’s restaurant in Northport for pizza. That simple beginning has grown into a celebration that includes nearly 200 people who either have Down syndrome or love people who do.
On March 21, the day World Down Syndrome Day is always celebrated, One Hope Church in Tuscaloosa hosted the party with dancing and a meal and enough smiles to light the city.
Down syndrome is medically known as Trisomy 21. Everyone has 23 chromosomes from each parent for a total of 46 chromosomes. People with Trisomy 21 have a third chromosome attached to the 21st pair of chromosomes, so World Down Syndrome Day is celebrated on March 21 every year.
“We are just a group of Down syndrome moms, and we have been having World Down Syndrome Day celebrations for about 12 years,” Terry said.
The genesis of the celebration was the Mr. G’s pizza party, which other moms of children with Down syndrome heard about and wanted to join in. The event exploded in popularity.
“This is what happens when moms get together and want to do something. We have such a strong group of women and families here, we started our own 501(c)(3) (charitable organization) because we want to reach out to other families, especially the new ones who have just had babies. We don’t want to intrude, but what we like to do is take a basket the hospital and welcome them to community and let them know we are here when they are ready for us,” Terry said.
The group’s official names is West Alabama Down Syndrome, WADS, an acronym that causes Terry to laugh.
She said, laughing, “I told the girls we should probably have thought a little harder about that name!”
“This community is unique, because kids with Down syndrome are so well loved and so well accepted in our community,” Terry said.
She points to the Stallings family as a primary reason for the Tuscaloosa community being so open to people with Down syndrome. The late John Mark Stallings, son of former University of Alabama football coach Gene Stallings, had Down syndrome and was well-known and loved by Tuscaloosans.
“These kids don’t see age. They don’t see black, white, brown. We had people from Germany, we have Hispanic kids, Black kids, white kids. You know what, we had so much love going on there was no problem in the world at that time. They love so much, and they bring so much,” Terry said.
“Ian made us better people. A lot of families feel these children bring out what is inside of our hearts. We are more accepting. We reach out to others. We call ourselves the lucky few,” Terry said.
Terry said the celebration was attended by at least 166 people. About a third of those attending had Down syndrome. The rest were family, friends, teachers and supporters.
“You get addicted to them. You get addicted to their happiness and their love. You want to feel that. In this day and time, you want to be them, you want to feel what they are feeling. They have such pure love. They have their struggles, but they have such a great attitude about things,” Terry said.
Reach Gary Cosby Jr. at [email protected].
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