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<\/p>\nThere are about 8.3 billion people on the planet, and not one person is the same.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every single human has his or her own talents, fears, voices. Each comes from a different background, upbringing, culture.<\/p>\n
And some humans have a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21 \u2014 trisomy 21 \u2014 more commonly known as Down syndrome.<\/p>\n
According to the Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida, there are about 1,200 Orange County residents living \u2014 and thriving \u2014 with Down syndrome.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Many of those individuals call West Orange home. And their families and their communities are better for it.<\/p>\n
Winning the lottery\u00a0<\/p>\n
Winter Garden resident Brian Sanders has triplets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He and his wife, Angelina Veronica Sanders, had just bought a two-bedroom house in 2004 and were not expecting to have children just yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, she got pregnant. Not with one baby, not twins, but triplets.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During a checkup, they found out baby \u201cC\u201d more than likely had Down syndrome due to a fused tricuspid valve, calcification and a low nasal bridge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The doctor immediately told them he could dissolve the baby.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Whoa! Stop! Sanders said to the doctor. That might be your medical obligation to tell us that, but from this point forward, don\u2019t ever mention that again.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t think of his child as \u201csomething to dissolve.\u201d He couldn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And although he wasn\u2019t educated on the subject, he immediately got to researching and learning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Of course, he had questions. Why? How?\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he learned quickly: It just simply happens.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During his research, he found out they did what was right for their family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI learned that we won the lottery,\u201d Sanders said. \u201cIt\u2019s probably better than winning the lottery.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Calvin Sanders, now 22, is his father\u2019s biggest blessing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Calvin Sanders is a jack of all trades. He enjoys coloring, listening to music, watching movies and working out, specifically weightlifting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s won gold medals in swimming for the state; he\u2019s won medals in basketball,\u201d Brian Sanders said. He\u2019s got tons of awards when it comes to weightlifting and stuff with Special Olympics. He\u2019s very strong \u2014 stronger than his brothers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Calvin Sanders enjoys working out. So much so that he goes to the CrossFit gym almost every single day, five days per week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019s extremely active, and that\u2019s how he likes to live his life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He even has gone skydiving \u2014 and wants to do it again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s nothing that he won\u2019t do; there\u2019s nothing he won\u2019t try,\u201d Brian Sanders said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Calvin has taught his family, friends and community members unconditional love, empathy and patience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could be having the most terrible day in your life, and then (Calvin) shows up, and everything changes,\u201d Brian Sanders said. \u201cYou\u2019re happy, you\u2019re joyful again, because he brings that to the environment. \u2026 He\u2019s taught us patience, he\u2019s taught us empathy, he\u2019s taught us unconditional love. He\u2019s taught his brothers how to be more acceptable of adults and kids with specials needs. \u2026 He\u2019s just a joy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, there are lots of misconceptions out there about individuals with Down syndrome, Brian Sanders said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t like the misconception when you tell someone that your son has Down syndrome, and the first thing they say is, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m sorry,\u2019\u201d Brian Sanders said. \u201cYou don\u2019t need to be sorry. You need to be happy and jealous that I have someone with Down syndrome. … The public\u2019s view on family members or anyone with Down syndrome is that it\u2019s a disability, and it\u2019s not a disability at all. Matter of fact, I don\u2019t even like the term Down syndrome; it should be called Up syndrome, because everything about it is uplifting. There\u2019s nothing down about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Calvin Sanders is fearless, accomplished, supportive and happy \u2014 everything any parent wants for his or her child.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe love is unconditional,\u201d Brian Sanders said. \u201cIt\u2019s like winning the lottery, and he\u2019s the one that\u2019s got the winning numbers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
No limits<\/p>\n
When Alec Nachtsheim was born in 1992, his parents Theresa and Doug Nachtsheim had no idea he had Down syndrome.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was an absolute, \u2018Wow,\u2019\u201d Theresa Nachtsheim said. \u201cI remember talking to a social worker when he was born, and I said, \u2018I don\u2019t know if I can deal with this.\u2019 She said, \u2018Don\u2019t make any decisions now. Take the baby home and enjoy the baby.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
So that\u2019s what they did.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI just remember those words of wisdom, and I went along,\u201d Theresa Nachtsheim said. \u201cI asked questions. I went to support groups and talked to people. Oh my goodness gracious, what a miracle. It\u2019s like the best thing in the world, because it\u2019s so much joy and so much love. It puts you in a whole different perspective of life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theresa Nachtsheim said she\u2019s learned a lot from her son, Alec Nachtsheim.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t sweat the big stuff; just enjoy today,\u201d she said. \u201cWe do everything together, and we have fun. We laugh, and we just enjoy life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even though she wasn\u2019t familiar with the condition, people around the world sent her books to teach her and her husband how to take care of their first-born son.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Soon, they learned Alec Nachtsheim needed occupational, physical and oral therapies, and even educated their insurance company on why he needed all of this.<\/p>\n
And he grew up with a relatively regular childhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Aside from doctors\u2019 appointments, he went to public school, took the bus, made friends and tried hard in academics.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had great teachers, and he bonded with his teachers, which is what helped him grow,\u201d Theresa Nachtsheim said. \u201c(When he graduated), he hugged every single person going across that stage to get his diploma. That\u2019s what he does, and cheer people and make people happy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec Nachtsheim also is an Eagle Scout, having accomplished that through hard work and dedication.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His scoutmaster asked Theresa Nachtsheim what he should worry about.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Honey, he can do anything he wants,\u2019\u201d she told him. \u201c\u2018Don\u2019t put restrictions on him.\u2019 And they didn\u2019t. He had to earn those medals, and he earned those awards.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For his service project, he built a butterfly garden, with the help of former Ocoee Mayor Scott Vandergrift, three commissioners, three past scout leaders and more than 20 community members.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec Nachtsheim is an active member of the community and is recognized around the city often.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also is a part of Special Olympics, having participated in swimming, basketball, bowling and, soon, pickleball.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got a real mean serve,\u201d Theresa Nachtsheim said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Besides sports, he enjoys dot art, marathons and helping others.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He often helps his neighbors with their lawn and trash.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Theresa Nachtsheim said she never has put limitations or restrictions on him, allowing him to be the person he wants by doing the things he loves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He hangs out with friends on a weekly basis, attends events throughout Ocoee and nearby communities and always has a smile on his face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Currently, he works at Publix, where he\u2019s been for 13 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019s a bagger \u2014 and a really good one, Theresa Nachtsheim said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019s friendly with customers and coworkers, and cares about his job. He carefully places items into bags, making sure his job is being done to the best of his ability.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also is a part of the Central Florida Community Arts, where he dances, acts and sings with his friends.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no limitations,\u201d Theresa Nachtsheim said. \u201cI\u2019m absolutely thrilled of all his accomplishments.\u201d She said all people need to do is give individuals with Down syndrome a chance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can change the world,\u201d she said. \u201cThey can make a difference and make you happy. And they\u2019ll tell you what\u2019s important in life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alec Nachtsheim has an outgoing, fun personality, as well as being a hardworking, caring and supportive man.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe deserves a chance,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We’re all different<\/p>\n
Maureen Wright was 28 weeks pregnant when she found out her daughter might have Down syndrome.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the time, the chance was 1 in 478.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And although Maureen Wright was a special education teacher, she knew being a parent to someone with special needs would be different than teaching individuals with special needs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When the diagnosis came, it was a shock, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy doctor gave me all the bad stuff, so I was very scared,\u201d she said. \u201cI definitely went through a period of grief about it, but I also only had the diagnosis. I didn\u2019t have a baby.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But when she gave birth to Andi Wright, her life changed, and her worries went out the window.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Since she was a child, Andi Wright was trouble \u2014 and loved pulling pranks on her unsuspecting family members.<\/p>\n
When she was about 5 years old, she had to wear hearing aids. One day, her mother put her in her car seat and quickly noticed her hearing aids were missing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Where are your hearing aids? Maureen Wright asked her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe gets out of the car, walked back into the house, went all the way back to our bedroom, went under our dresser and starting taking them out from under it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Her mom isn\u2019t her only target.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sister was watching her, and (Andi) asked her to buy Oreos,\u201d Maureen Wright said. \u201cShe bought them, and two days later, she\u2019s still at her house and says, \u2018Aunt Lola, try these Oreos.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Andi Wright had scraped the filling from the Oreo and put toothpaste in it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her favorite prank was putting a beer can in her mom\u2019s lunchbox.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She enjoys living life through humor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s super spunky, super spicy,\u201d Maureen Wright said. \u201cShe loves to have a really good time. She loves to have music on loud, singing in the car and dancing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She recently picked up working out and loves the battle ropes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t look at one person with Down syndrome and think that they\u2019re all the same,\u201d Maureen Wright said. \u201cThey\u2019re all very, very different. They all have their individual lives \u2014 likes, dislikes, feelings (and) emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andi Wright is a blessing and a gift to her family, friends and community members.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe makes us happy, and she always has us thinking,\u201d Maureen Wright said. \u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
\u2018The joy of our family\u2019<\/p>\n
Martha Mazo came to Dr. Phillips from Colombia, where she worked as an industrial engineer for the Coffee Growers\u2019 Federation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a perfectionist and cared deeply about what people thought of me,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
When she got pregnant and learned her baby girl had Trisomy 21, she was devastated. At the time, she didn\u2019t understand what that meant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u201cI had spent time with many families who had children with special needs and had seen how difficult it was for them to raise those children in a society that judged them\u2014 viewing them as a punishment rather than the blessing I now know them to be,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her husband didn\u2019t care. This baby was his first daughter after having two boys in a previous marriage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was ecstatic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth my family and my husband\u2019s family supported us from the start,\u201d Mazo said. \u201cTo them, it was a blessing. But I couldn\u2019t accept it \u2014 especially when I was told she would face serious health issues. \u2026 One day, my husband and I asked God for help. We called my doctor and asked her what decision she would make if she were in my shoes. She told us she had faced a similar situation and that God had made the decision for her, because she had studied medicine to give life, not to take it. We cried, we prayed, and I decided to continue with the pregnancy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sophia Mazo was born at eight months and spent one month in the hospital. She had surgery to repair her duodenum when she was seven days old.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is the person I love most in the world, and every day, I thank God for giving me the opportunity to be her mother,\u201d Martha Mazo said. \u201cWhen I was younger, my relationship with her was very difficult, but God sent my mom to help me. I was forced to learn how to prioritize what truly matters and how to relax.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Martha Mazo credits the many support groups she attended.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn those groups, our children always come first, and learning from each of these women\u2019s experiences has helped me become a better mom.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sophia Mazo is a hard worker.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She spent one year working three hours every Monday with babies who have Down syndrome at the Down Syndrome Association of Central Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is extremely sociable and kind-hearted with everyone,\u201d Martha Mazo said. \u201cShe gets along wonderfully with children who have special needs, and regardless of their disabilities, she sees them all as lovely and intelligent. She is very charismatic.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
Sophia Mazo also works at Special Hearts Farm Mondays through Fridays. \u00a0<\/p>\n
At the farm, she has learned to make goat milk soap, care for animals, distribute food to those in need and do gardening work, but what she enjoys most is public relations. She participates in most activities and events organized by the Down Syndrome Association, the Down Syndrome Foundation, Nathaniel\u2019s Hope and Family Church.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSophia is the joy of our family,\u201d Martha Mazo said. \u201cShe has brought us much closer together. Recently, she faced a health crisis where we thought we might lose her. You cannot imagine the immense pain and terror we felt. My husband and I stayed with her at the hospital 24 hours (per) day. \u2026 We cannot imagine life without her.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
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