Down geniuses. People with Down syndrome: a story of misconceptions, life and love
A genetic abnormality in chromosome structure can be expressed in different ways. There are quite complex cases, in which the sick person is unable to do almost anything. But a mild form of the disease allows you to maintain a quality lifestyle, as famous people with Down syndrome convince us of, about whom it makes sense to talk in more detail.
Regardless of the causes of the chromosomal abnormality leading to a serious illness - Down syndrome, for parents the birth of a child with such a diagnosis is a real tragedy. It is impossible to be cured; congenital pathology will accompany a person throughout his life. There are only auxiliary methods through which you can teach your baby to take care of himself and develop basic skills. If the form is serious, hope for more or less quality life no need to. But if the disease manifests itself in mild form, that is, it makes sense to take care of a child from childhood and not give up. Proof that a beloved child with “child of the sun” syndrome has a great future ahead are celebrities with Down syndrome.
Madeleine Stewart - Australian model with Down syndrome
The main action of parents at the birth of a sick child is not to despair. Anyway, new life means happiness. Yes, unlike others, you will have to devote more time to the newborn, but it’s worth remembering golden rule— Down syndrome is not a death sentence.
A baby is a blessing from above, for which you need to live and enjoy this life. This is repeated many times famous people with Down syndrome and their grateful, happy parents. The latter, in turn, reap the fruits of their love and participation in the life of their beloved child and do not for a second regret that their child is a little different from others. Let us remember a few extraordinary personalities who have reached unprecedented heights in this difficult life.
Famous people with Down syndrome: the disease is not a problem for those who are focused
Few people know that there is a day when people with the diagnosis we describe are treated with special respect. March 21 is the Day of People with Down Syndrome, adopted by the international community. Some will say that there are other dates dedicated to other types of diseases. But the Down category includes great people: lawyers, actors, models, athletes, outstanding scientists, philosophers, etc.
Model with Down syndrome - Madeleine from Australia
About a few years ago, a young Australian, Madeline Stewart, made her debut on the catwalk. Her first appearance caused mixed reactions - some were delighted, others were perplexed how a girl with a serious illness managed to achieve such success. Before the talk had died down, she again conquered the podium outside her homeland. Mad's career has taken off and there is no reason to stop and complain about life. And so, the highest fashion week in New York was marked not only by a unique show by the world's leading couturiers, but also by the appearance on stage of Mad Stewart. The girl pranced along the catwalk in tight leggings and a light top and amazed the audience with her grace and ease of movements. It is for this reason that she is trusted to parade in a sports type of clothing, directly associated with lightness and ease.
Sergei Makarov: actor with Down syndrome received a prize
Another refutation of misconceptions and monstrous myths about this disease is the vivid and instructive example of Sergei Makarov. From childhood he was prepared unenviable fate. It is difficult for Sergei to remember those years when no one wanted to be friends with him or accept him into school. The worst thing is that the doctors refused to treat the child and, according to them, his life would last up to 17 years at most. It would be interesting to look at the faces of these specialists when Makarov became the movie hero of the year and gained true fame as an excellent actor. This event happened already in 2004, when he, with a congenital illness, had long since crossed the threshold of a 17-year-old boy. Unfortunately, domestic cinema rarely attracts talented sunny man, and, apparently, loses a lot.
People with such a disease can express themselves vividly in rare cases, so it is necessary, no matter how rude it may sound, to use their individuality and abilities, the unusualness of the image.
Russian film actor Sergei Makarov also suffers from Down syndrome
Sunny children of celebrities
Famous politician and simply beautiful, smartest woman Irina Khakamada has always been determined. At the age of 42, she again surprised the public by giving birth to a child at such a respected age. At first she bravely endured the ordeal; her daughter Masha underwent treatment for leukemia. When the disease was over, a couple of years later, Irina and her daughter attended the premiere of a foreign film and everyone saw that Mashenka suffered from Down syndrome. In the eyes of people, Irina Khakamada has earned even more respect and honor, because no matter what, she continues to enjoy life with her children and makes every effort to make them feel maternal love and care.
Iya Sergeevna Savvina: the only joy is a sunny son
The famous actress, heroine of film adaptations of great works, Iya Savvina, raised her son with a severe form of Down syndrome all her life. They say that immediately after the birth of a sick baby, her family tried to persuade her to give him up. But the actress flatly refused. Savvina made every effort to ensure that Sergei grew up in an atmosphere of love, harmony, and care. Thanks to the efforts of his mother and grandmother, the boy has extraordinary talents: he plays the piano delightfully, can foreign languages. Despite national glory, she was afraid that it would be difficult for her beloved Seryozha to live without her. She dreamed of only one thing - to leave with her son on the same day. Doctors claimed that Seryozha would not live long, but he managed to outlive his mother and cross the 50-year mark, which became amazing fact among specialists.
Important: Sergey is included in the Guinness Book of Records as a person with sun sickness and for a long time life. According to his stepfather, the actress’s son has a light and kind disposition, is always cordial and in a great mood.
Successful people with Down syndrome
It is difficult to gain global recognition not only for a person with some kind of illness, but also for a completely healthy person. But it has already been done famous actor with a solar diagnosis, Pablo Pineda. The Silver Shell prize was awarded to him for best role male plan in the film “Me Too.” For Pablo, cinema is not an end in itself, it’s just that a Spanish director noticed his talents. Until this moment, the actor received several diplomas, including in the field of pedagogy, art, and teaching. Pineda works in the city municipality, and received from the hands of the mayor of Malaga important award"Shield of the City"
Pablo Pineda is another successful actor with Down syndrome
Important: Pablo Pineda is the first, and so far, the only person to receive higher education at the university.
Roni - YouTube star
Famous people with Down syndrome also include YouTube star, American composer, and musician Ronald Jenkins. His parents did not begin to panic after the birth of a sick child and invested all their care and love into their beloved child. When Ron was 6 years old, he was given a synthesizer, and, surprisingly, he began to play on his own, without the help of teachers. At first, light, simple melodies were played. The positive thing about Ronald's life is that he always had friends and no one refused to communicate with him. It was with these friends that he began to play music group at school, playing without notes. Now Roni famous musician, most listeners consider him a modern genius. Since 2003, he has been performing under the name “Whig Cheese” and uploads every new composition online.
Children of the Sun - public attitude
If we continue to list the most famous people with Down syndrome, the list will be long. And what’s nice is that last decades attitudes towards persons with such a diagnosis have become an order of magnitude better. Much credit for this modern medicine and a caring public, striving not only to alleviate, but also to create all conditions for the full development of people suffering from pathology. After all, the disease can affect anyone, because the slightest pathology in the chromosome structure is enough for this. The disease has no racial or age boundaries, there are even blacks with Down syndrome, whose photos will convince every reader.
Musician Ronald Jenkins real star Youtube
It is important to see the baby as a full-fledged child and devote your life to him. After all, doctors still cannot establish exactly what Down syndrome is - famous personalities completely refute the claim that this is a disease, but a truly sunny state.
There is a misconception that people with Down syndrome are absolutely unadapted to life and cannot study, work, or achieve any success. However, this is not at all true. Our heroes act in films, teach, walk on the catwalk and win gold medals!
Among the “children of the sun” there are talented actors, artists, athletes and teachers. Read our selection and see for yourself!
Judith ScottSad and amazing story Judith began on May 1, 1943, when twin girls were born into an ordinary family from Columbus. One of the girls, named Joyce, was born absolutely healthy, but her sister Judith was diagnosed with Down syndrome.
In addition to this, while still a baby, Judith fell ill with scarlet fever and lost her hearing. The girl did not speak and did not react in any way to remarks addressed to her, so the doctors mistakenly believed that she had severe mental retardation. The only person The person who understood Judith and could communicate with her was her sister Joyce. The twins were inseparable. The first 7 years of Judith's life were absolutely happy...
And then... her parents, under pressure from doctors, made a catastrophic decision. They placed Judith in a home for the feeble-minded and abandoned her.
Joyce separated from her beloved sister for 35 long years. All these years she suffered from melancholy and guilt. One can only guess what Judith was experiencing at this time. At that time, no one was interested in the experiences of the “mentally retarded”...
In 1985, Joyce, unable to withstand many years of moral torment, found her twin and took custody of her. It immediately became clear that no one was involved in the development and upbringing of Judith: she did not know how to read or write, she was not even taught the language of the deaf and dumb. The sisters moved to the Californian city of Oakland. Here Judith began visiting an arts center for people with mental disabilities. A turning point in her life occurred when she took a fiber art class (thread weaving technique). After this, Judith began creating sculptures from threads. The basis for her products was any objects that were in her field of vision: buttons, chairs, dishes. She carefully wrapped the found objects in multi-colored threads and created unusual, unlike anything else, sculptures. She did not stop this work until her death in 2005.
Gradually, her creations, bright, powerful, original, gained fame. Some were fascinated by them, others, on the contrary, were repulsed, but everyone agreed that they were filled with some kind of extraordinary energy. Judith's work can now be seen in outsider art museums. Their prices reach up to 20 thousand dollars.
Her sister said about her:
“Judith managed to show the whole world how someone who has been thrown into the dustbin by society can come back and prove that he is capable of extraordinary achievements.”Pablo Pineda (born 1974)
Pablo Pineda is a Spanish actor and teacher who received world fame. Pablo was born in the Spanish city of Malaga. IN early age he was diagnosed with a mosaic form of Down syndrome (i.e., not all cells contain an extra chromosome).
The parents did not send their child to a specialized boarding school. He successfully completed regular school, and then entered the university and received a diploma in educational psychology.
In 2008, Pablo starred in leading role in the movie "Me Too" - touching story love between a teacher with Down syndrome and a healthy woman (the film has been translated into Russian). For his role as a teacher, Pablo was awarded the Silver Shell at the Saint-Sebastian Film Festival.
IN present moment Pineda lives and works teaching activities in his hometown Malaga. Here Pablo is treated with great respect. They even named the square after him.
Pascal Duquenne (born 1970)Pascal Duquenne is a theater and film actor with Down syndrome. WITH early years He became interested in acting, took part in many amateur theatrical productions, and after meeting director Jaco Van Dormael he received his first film roles. The most famous character he embodied is Georges from the film “The Eighth Day.”
At the Cannes Film Festival, Duquenne was recognized as best film actor for this role. He later starred in Mr. Nobody in a cameo role as the double of the main character, played by Jared Leto.
Now Duquenne is a media person, he gives numerous interviews and appears in television programs. In 2004, the King of Belgium made him Commander of the Order of the Crown, which is equivalent to knighting.
The paintings of American artist Raymond Hu delight connoisseurs. Raymond paints animals in traditional Chinese technology.
His passion for painting began back in 1990, when his parents invited the artist home to take several private lessons from him. Then 14-year-old Raymond painted his first picture: flowers in a measuring cup. Painting fascinated him, and he moved from flowers to animals.
Maria Langovaya (born in 1997)Masha Langovaya is a Russian athlete from Barnaul, world champion in swimming. She took part in the Special Olympics twice and won gold both times. When Masha was little, her mother did not even think about making her a champion. It’s just that the girl was often sick, and her parents decided to “toughen her up” and sent her to the pool. Water turned out to be Masha’s native element: she loved to swim and compete with other children. It was then that her mother decided to send her daughter to professional sports.
Jamie Brewer (born February 5, 1985)Jamie Brewer - American actress, who gained fame after starring in several seasons of American Horror Story. Already as a child, Jamie dreamed of acting career. She attended a theater group and took part in a variety of productions.
In 2011, she received her first film role. To the authors of the series American history horror" needed a young actress with Down syndrome. Jamie was invited to audition and, to her surprise, was approved for the role. Jamie also tried herself as a model. She is the first woman with Down syndrome to walk at the Week high fashion in New York. She presented a dress from designer Carrie Hammer.
Jamie is an active activist for the rights of disabled people. Thanks to her efforts, the offensive phrase “mental retardation” was replaced by “intellectual developmental disability” in the state of Texas.
Karen Gafni (born 1977)Karen Gafni is another one amazing example how people with disabilities can achieve the same results as healthy people, and even surpass them. Karen achieved amazing success in swimming.
Is everyone healthy person can swim across the English Channel? What about swimming 14 kilometers in water with a temperature of 15 degrees? But Karen did it! A tireless swimmer, she bravely overcame difficulties, taking part in competitions with able-bodied athletes. On special olympic games she won gold medals twice. In addition, Karen founded a foundation to help people with disabilities and received a doctorate!
Madeline StewartMadeline Stewart is perhaps the most famous model with Down syndrome. She advertises clothes and cosmetics, walks the catwalk and takes part in photo shoots. One can only envy her determination. In order to get on the podium, the girl lost 20 kilograms. And her mother Rosanna also has a lot to do with her success.
“Every day I tell her how amazing she is and she believes it unconditionally. Maddie truly loves herself. She can tell you how gorgeous she is."Jack Barlow (7 years old)
A 7-year-old boy became the first person with Down syndrome to perform on stage with a ballet troupe. Jack made his debut in the ballet "The Nutcracker". The boy has been seriously engaged in choreography for 4 years, and he was finally entrusted with performing with professional dancers. Thanks to Jack, the performance performed by the Cincinnati Ballet Company was sold out. In any case, the video posted on the Internet received more than 50,000 views. Experts are already predicting a brilliant ballet future for Jack.
Paula Sage (born 1980)Paula Sage's versatility would be the envy of an absolutely healthy person. Firstly, she is a wonderful actress who received several prestigious awards for her role in the British film After Life. Secondly, Paula is a brilliant athlete who plays netball professionally. And thirdly - public figure and human rights activist.
A wonderful teacher with Down syndrome works in one of the kindergartens in Argentina. 30-year-old Noelia copes well with her duties, the kids adore her. At first, some parents were against having a person with a similar diagnosis raise their children. However, they soon became convinced that Noelia was a sensitive teacher who loved children very much and knew how to find an approach to them. By the way, the kids perceive Noelia absolutely normally and do not see anything unusual in her.
Hard statistics say that in 90 percent of cases, children with Down syndrome are killed in the womb through abortion. Even if a child is born, in 9 out of 10 cases the parents abandon him. But it’s completely in vain, because it’s ordinary people, just with some (sometimes very significant) features in development. People with the syndrome have their own talents, and if they are developed, they can become successful, famous, and, with the help of their own work, not just self-sufficient, but even rich.
Strong people
Some famous people with Down syndrome are described and. Many people with this congenital disease have achieved success and worldwide fame. For example, actors with Down syndrome - Pablo Pineda, Paula Sazh, Stephanie Ginz, Pascal Duquenne, Max Lewis, Sergei Makarov, athletes - Karren Gaffney, Maria Langovaya, Andrei Vostrikov, restaurateurs - Tom Harris, Nikita Panichev, musicians and singers - Miguel Tomasin , Ronald Jackins, artists - Raymond Hu, Josie Webster, teacher Maria Nefedova. Many of those named have higher education, work as teachers, and achieved success thanks to their perseverance in life.
A person, even if he is sick, can achieve his dreams; his joy makes everyone around him happier. We need to help those who need help and each of us will feel more comfortable in our small world where everything is interdependent.
In the state of Illinois, in the United States of America, Michael Jurgue Johnson paints. This versatile artist with Down syndrome paints people, animals, and many landscape works. The style of execution is special, but the paintings are quite realistic, he not only paints at will, but also receives many orders for certain paintings.
Michael has websites that feature his work. He also shows on his Internet resources the works of other artists who have the same disease. Mike periodically organizes exhibitions of his work.
Lives in the Ukrainian regional center of Lutsk interesting guy Bogdan Kravchuk. He became famous after becoming the first Ukrainian student to have a gene abnormality. Despite the fact that he has Down syndrome, he is interested in history and geography, knows the capitals of all European countries, as well as the dates of the most important historical events in the territory of Ukraine.
From the first grades Bogdan was interested in books, textbooks, geographical maps. The child’s grandfather, Vasily Kravchuk, worked with the child, who helped develop the child’s photographic memory and imagination, which helped the child in his studies. Many things are difficult for Bogdan - he doesn’t count well, he can’t tie his shoelaces. But his successes can be the envy of most ordinary peers - he knows by heart huge amount poems by Kotlyarevsky, Shevchenko, Lesya Ukrainka.
The child began to walk late - after two years. He also didn’t speak for a long time, but his mother started teaching him to read early and the baby suddenly began to talk. There were no special techniques, the training was ordinary, but my mother needed a lot of patience. The boy went to first grade rehabilitation center, he really liked geography, literature, history, his interests coincided with his grandfather’s and he enjoyed studying with his grandson. He was also helped by history teacher Larisa Bondaruk, whose classes became Bogdan’s favorite.
Having finished school well, he entered the Eastern European national university in Lutsk. There were problems with admission, they did not want to issue medical certificate, since, according to the law of 1967, children with special needs of genetic development cannot enroll in a university. However, in 2006, a decree was issued in Ukraine according to which such children can study at correspondence department, this form of training was chosen by Bogdan. A history teacher helped me get a doctor’s certificate. By the way, upon admission I took tests on a general basis - the tests included three subjects - Ukrainian, world history, history of Ukraine. After graduating from university, Bogdan plans to work in a historical archive; he enjoys studying ancient documents.
Artist Maryam Alekberli
Azerbaijani artist Maryam Alakberi is known all over the world; she paints in an interesting, rather realistic style, which is compared to the style of Paul Gauguin and Henri Matthys. Exhibitions are held in many countries, the most famous being a personal exhibition at the Louvre in 2015. The girl is not only well-developed intellectually, but also quite beautiful, you can’t even tell that she has Down syndrome.
The girl was born in 1991 in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku. She studied at a school for ordinary children, after graduating from school she additionally studied in Baku and Moscow educational institutions. Since childhood, she loved to draw, showing her imagination, her mother helped the girl develop her talent, and at the age of 19, she had her first significant exhibition at the “Garden of Art” museum in Baku.
- Agibalov Mikhail Pavlovich - biography
- Greeks, WWII veterans, heroes of the Soviet Union From the biography of a hero
- Marshal L. A. Govorov. Liberator of Leningrad. Your heroes, Leningrad Govorov short biography
- Coats of arms of the provinces of the Russian Empire Coats of arms of the cities of the Russian Empire with a description