President Stevo Pendarovski, of North Macedonia walked an 11-year-old girl with Down syndrome to school after he heard she was being bullied. He held Embla Ademi’s hand as he walked her to her elementary school in the city of Gostivar on Monday. Embla has experienced bullying at school due as a result of having Down syndrome
In November, Special Olympics athlete Chris Nikic became the first person with Down syndrome to complete an Ironman triathlon. Nikic, 21, finished a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile marathon run at the Ironman Florida competition in Panama City Beach in 16 hours, 46 minutes and 9 seconds, just 14 minutes under the 17-hour cutoff time. Throughout his training and completion of the race, Nikic inspired others to follow in his footsteps.
Our 16-year-old daughter, Penny, wakes up to the beeping of her alarm. On her way downstairs, she picks up her iPhone to check her texts. She eats breakfast, gathers her sneakers and pompoms for cheerleading and heads to school. When Penny was diagnosed with Down syndrome a few hours after she was born, I didn’t expect our mornings to feel so ordinary.