Amelia

Amelia, 9, is a ballerina and tap dancer from Pitt County, North Carolina. She regularly puts on her own shows—with wigs and all—to some of her favorite songs, including “Old Town Road" and “Stop! In The Name Of Love.” While not dancing at home and active with ECU Dance Ability, she enjoys practicing her gymnastics skills, and hopes to be on a cheerleading team when she gets to middle school. Amelia currently is in EC (Exceptional Children) classes at school rather than mainstreaming, and is doing well with reading comprehension and developing her speech. Because her speech was delayed, Amelia has known how to sign since she was a baby!

She was adopted as a foster child at one week old, and had surgery to address one of the common health complications that can be present for children with Down syndrome: holes in her heart’s atrium and ventricle. Amelia had GI difficulties and a feeding tube for a time, and severe acid reflux. While many people with Down syndrome are not born with any major birth defects, it’s not unusual for one or several health problems to be present. Her mother Mary says that “there are challenges, but it is so worth it to see her thrive."

At home, Amelia has an emotional support cat with whom she’ll express frustrations and process her feelings—and occasionally dress up and push in her stroller! Her family also trained two rescue dogs to become therapy pets. When not reading to the dogs, Amelia loves to watch “Frozen” and “Moana,” which are two favorites in common with many people her age. People with Down syndrome truly are like anyone else!

"She is literally the light of our lives,” Mary says. We see exactly why!