Milnrow siblings raise awareness for World Down Syndrome Day

Two Milnrow youngsters have featured in a video for charity Wouldn’t Change a Thing’s World Down Syndrome Day campaign this year (Sunday 21 March).

‘How will this affect my other children?’ is a question many new or expectant parents of a child with Down syndrome ask themselves on receiving their child’s diagnosis.

Wouldn’t Change a Thing’s World Down Syndrome Day campaign this year aimed to go some way towards answering that question and invited families who have a member with the condition to a carpool karaoke – miming Sister Sledge’s ‘We Are Family’.

Local siblings Wilf Senior, 4, and 9-year-old Betsy Senior wanted to not only join in on the fun but change perceptions with positivity and love.

Mum Beth Senior, along with her husband and their eight children, has been involved with Wouldn’t Change a Thing since the charity’s first ‘incredible’ campaign in 2018.

Beth said: “At the time that I joined, my youngest child Wilf, who has Down syndrome, was 2. It’s a wonderful group to be a part of, not just for the videos but for the support and friendship offered.

“This year’s campaign was to highlight the impact of a child with Down syndrome has on their siblings and to completely dispel the myth that the other children suffer as a result of having a sibling with Down syndrome.”

 

 

Formal research has shown that over 90% of people who have a family member with Down syndrome say they are happier for having that person in their lives.

Siblings of a child with Down syndrome often exhibit a level of maturity above that of their peers and tend to have more highly developed communication and social skills. They are also often more accepting and appreciative of differences, with the vast majority of brothers and sisters feeling that they are better people because of their sibling with Down syndrome.

Beth continued: “If you watch the video, you can feel the love that is almost palpable between the siblings! It truly is an uplifting and inspirational video.”

 

 

The latest video – which Wilf and Betsy feature at 2 minutes 56 seconds in - comes three years after the charity first sparked a global phenomenon online with their moving carpool karaoke song A Thousand Years.

The 2018 carpool video - 50 Mums | 50 Kids | 1 Extra Chromosome - has racked up in excess of 500 million views to date.

“An extra chromosome does in fact give Wilf something ‘extra’ and that’s why he’s so extra special, extra awesome, and extra wonderful and we, as a family, are one of the lucky few to have won that lottery," said Beth.

“We celebrated World Down Syndrome Day this year by rocking our odd socks and counting our blessings that we have Wilf in our family - which we do every day, anyway.”