Muir of Ord toddler and his family become ambassadors for the international organisation Nothing Down, which helps to fight the stigma surrounding Down Syndrome
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A ROSS toddler is doing his bit to help fight the stigma around Down Syndrome after he was named as an ambassador by an international organisation.
Nineteen-month-old Odhrán McLafferty of Muir of Ord has become one of 29 ambassadors across the globe for Nothing Down, a support and advocacy charity which aims to change the way the world views Down Syndrome — also known as Trisomy 21.
He and his family will help the organisation through community outreach, fundraising and social media promotion for the whole of this year.
His parents, Aoife and Martin McLafferty, said they are both very proud of their son. Mrs McLafferty said: "We couldn't believe it when we had the news - we decided to register Odhrán to the call for new ambassadors and as there were 500 applicants we didn't really think he'd be selected.
"We are amazed of how much he has achieved at this point, and he is just one-year-old!
"I decided to start campaigning for a more positive view of down syndrome after I was told that Odhrán had been diagnosed for it — I was 14 weeks pregnant then. When I started doing some research on Down Syndrome on Google... it was scary to look at [the results] and think about what Odhrán would have had to go through.
"However, I didn't stop my searches there and took my search on social media, and I was amazed by the number of people who were posting positive pictures, children who seemed to laugh and enjoy life. This really helped me go through my pregnancy and I thought that it would have been amazing to be able to do the same for someone else.
"My father and my husband are both doctors and they told me that the campaign has changed the way they perceive women who are pregnant of a child with Trisomy 21 and the way they approach them.
"It's really important to underline the positive sides of the condition and it's a cause very close to our hearts."
The little boy also models with Zebedee Managment, a specialist agency that works with people with Down Syndrome and other conditions to fight the stigma, and he appeared in the book Wouldn’t Change a Thing by Celebrate T1 last year.
Mrs McLafferty added: "Odhrán he is very happy to do this for Nothing Down and he really loves the camera.
"He is a very sociable child and is always flirting, everywhere he goes he gathers big crowds around him.
"One of his biggest passions is food, he eats almost everything! Well, everything but pancakes apparently — we made them for this Shrove Tuesday but it was a bit of a disaster!
"He is now the older brother to a 6-week-old and he is already showing his protective side as he would try and sooth the baby when he cries."
Nothing Down provides support, advocacy, education and opportunities for individuals and families that have been touched by Down syndrome, aiming to change the way that the world views the condition and eliminate the stigmas that are often associated with disabilities.
Nothing Down's Shannon Daughtry said: "By providing these amazing kids and adults a platform to shine, it educates the world that we are far more alike than we are different. Ambassadors are chosen to represent and assist the organisation through community outreach, fundraising, and social media promotion. They work very hard to advocate for the Down syndrome community.
"We received well over 500 applications from all over the world. It was a very difficult process, because there were so many amazing applicants that would have been great additions to our organization. In the end, we chose the families that showed the most dedication to Nothing Down and our mission and those that had a huge passion for advocacy. Odhrán and his family are going to make wonderful ambassadors and advocates."
Nothing Down produces documentaries, viral photo and video projects, an annual calendar, and social media campaigns that highlight the promise and beauty of individuals with Down Syndrome and runs several programs, among which one in support of new and expectant parents of babies with Down Syndrome.
For more information on the charity, visit www.nothingdown.org.
- Click here to read more Ross-shire Journal news.
