Owensboro girl featured in National Down Syndrome Society video presentation on Times Square

OWENSBORO, Ky. (WFIE) - October is National Down Syndrome Awarenesses Month, and one family in Owensboro is getting ahead of the celebration - all the way on the big screens in New York.

Anna Sue is only 7-years-old, but probably the sassiest and sweetest girl you’ll ever meet.

“Anna Sue is 100% a greeter,” Cindy Wimsatt, Anna Sue’s Mom said. “She loves to see people, loves to see them smile and loves to get their reactions.”

And let’s face it, she was made for the big screens.

So in honor of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Anna Sue’s mom sent in her picture and got the good news.

“When I got the email, I don’t know how to describe it other than it was uplifting,” Wimsatt said. “It was encouraging, it was rewarding to me as a mom, to say you know what, we’re doing this.”

Family and friends gathered around as about 500 pictures, including children, teens and adults with Down syndrome from all 50 states, were featured in Times Square on Saturday. And then, it was Anna Sue’s turn.

“Today was super special for me as a mom,” Wimsatt said. “Having a child with Down syndrome can sometimes be scary. But what I’ve learned is no matter what, she’s always going to pull us through because she is a superstar.”

And it’s the bigger picture here that Wimsatt says she hopes the community remembers.

“No matter where you are in your diagnosis, we are here to support you,” she said. “And whether it’s prenatal, it’s birth, or you moved into our community and you don’t know anyone - we’re here to support you.”

To learn more about Down Syndrome Awareness Month, check out the official Facebook page for the National Down Syndrome Society, as well as the Green River Area Down Syndrome Association website.

To learn more information about the 2021 GRADSA Buddy Walk, click here.

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