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‘BE KIND AND HAPPY’— THAT’S NOT A BAD WAY TO LIVE

Albuquerque Journal - 10/20/2017

The pink is everywhere this month as a signal of breast cancer awareness. It’s hard to miss as the long-standing efforts to promote the seriousness of the disease have worked wonders.

Not so well known is that October also is the month to raise awareness for Down syndrome, which is when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome.

It’s an effort that has been embraced by the West Las Vegas schools, particularly their athletic department, which is spearheading a campaign not only to raise awareness about Down sy ndrome, but also to raise money for the New Mexico Down Syndrome Fund through The ARC, which advocates for and serves people with developmental disabilities.

“Our goal is to raise $5,000,” said Krystle Leger, a special education instructor with the district’s Developmental Disabilities Program and organizer of the event.

A few of the common physical traits of Down syndrome are: low muscle tone, small stature, an upward slant to the eyes and a single deep crease across the center of the palm. Every person with Down syndrome is a unique individual and may possess these characteristics to different degrees, or not at all, according to the National Down Syndrome Society website.

Students from the district are selling wristbands for $1 and many of the WLV athletic teams will participate in the first Down Syndrome Awareness Buddy Walk on Oct. 28 at the football field. It’s timed to coincide with the big cross-town rivalry football game between the Dons and Robertson’s Cardinals.

Requests went out to many other local school districts to be involved and the effort has been well received, Leger said.

“I thought, ‘Why don’t we get the West Las Vegas schools involved and ask the neighboring communities to get involved,’” she said. “We want to make it this a big fiesta to raise awareness before the East-West game that afternoon, the Vegas Bowl. It’s a big thing. We wanted to host something in the morning and get the whole community involved.”

In addition to the WLV teams, the Pecos basketball teams, the Highlands men’s basketball team and the Cardinals volleyball team are also on board, Leger said.

Multi-sport Dons athlete Amaya Ortiz said she’s glad the district is doing something like this.

“I think it’s a very good thing to raise awareness for,” said Ortiz, a senior who plays soccer and volleyball, and is on the cheer squad. “We have a lot of students with Down syndrome, and they participate in a lot of different things and we support them. They come support us at games. And they’re also involved in our community. When they come to the games, we interact with them and play with them, make them feel a part of the team and are aware of the sport. We include them.”

Ortiz said she’s sold more than 30 wristbands so far and is finding out more about Down syndrome through the endeavor.

“Throughout the whole process, we’ve been learning a lot about a lot of different things,” Ortiz said. “I think that patience is very essential when working with people with Down syndrome, repetition of everything. Just be engaging with them. They get excited by interacting with other people.”

Interacting with students who have Down syndrome gives the athletes a good perspective on life, said senior football and basketball player David Balizan.

“I’ve grown up associating with people with Down syndrome,” he said. “You have to give them a lot of attention, be accepting, and be kind and happy with them all the time.”

And that’s not a bad way to live life, Balizan added.

“One of my classmates, he graduated in 2016, we’re kind of close,” he said. “He would always go out for the basketball team and the football team. He was just another person to us. We didn’t see him as somebody with a disability.”

Having the athletes involved was imperative to the cause, Leger said.

“These Down syndrome students go out there and watch these athletes, and look up to them,” she said.

Leger described how athletes interacted with a little girl with Down syndrome and gave her a ball after a game. “Taking a few seconds of their time meant the world to her,” she said.

“ It’s easy,” Leger said. “Be kind, be polite, be thoughtful of how you might have made their day. It’s awareness. It’s fantastic to see the athletes come together and interact with the students. They’re gentle, kind and sympathetic.”

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Down Syndrome Awareness Buddy Walk

WHERE: West Las Vegas High school football field

WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 28, 9 a.m.

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