Henry

The following feature is in partnership with Gigi’s Playhouse New York City. Find a Gigi’s achievement center near you at gigisplayhouse.org/locations.

Henry, 12, is a Star Wars-loving bibliophile from New York, NY. His mother Rachel, a professor at Columbia University, wrote about her experiences with her son in “Raising Henry: A Memoir of Motherhood, Disability, and Discovery.” She had a background in disability studies prior to learning that her son had Down syndrome at birth, and now continues to advocate for people just like Henry, whom she says is an “extremely loving person.” She continues, “He likes to give me a big hug and say, ‘I love my mommy,’ then turn to his brother and say, ‘I love my brother.’  He’s the center of love and laughter in our family.” 

At home, Rachel says that Henry loves to dress up in costumes and put on shows for the family after dinner. He also has a knack for imitating, with his best impressions being the Muppets and Star Wars characters Chewbacca, Yoda, Darth Vader, and the Storm Troopers. He loves The Muppets so much that he can name every guest star from seasons 1 through 3, and is at this point “a library of B-list celebrities from the 1970s and 1980s.” Rachel continues, “Henry has a long history of falling in love with certain movies and learning every word of the dialogue, then acting out long scenes.” Beauty and the Beast, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Frozen, and the Minions movies have been his favorites so far. Star Wars, of course, tops them all. Henry has a Star Wars figurine collection, and countless Star Wars books that he likes to read aloud “for hours.” 

Henry and his brother Noah, a young filmmaker, like to recreate these Star Wars scenes, complete with costumes and special effects. Henry has also starred as a wrestler and rapper in his home movies. When not making films, the brothers like playing on their Xbox game console together. Henry likes doing cooking projects, and would like to someday become a chef. Another favorite hobby of Henry’s is swimming. Since the pandemic, he’s also “spent a lot of time calling people on Facetime,” which seems in-keeping with his loving personality. Henry no doubt is the life of the party! 

Henry’s warm smile has been featured in a Toys R Us Catalogue, National Down Syndrome Society printed materials, and in an educational video for medical students learning about Down syndrome. His kind personality and joyful is contagious—clearly others see this, too. It’s wonderful to know you, Henry!