A down syndrome child was supposed to be institutionalized, according to doctors. She became a top model 15 years later

A Down syndrome child who doctors planned to institutionalize has thrived to become a top model.

Renee Garcia, Kennedy Garcia’s mother, was devastated when the doctors informed her that Kennedy would not have any quality of life, would still be wearing diapers as an adult, and would be better served in a specialized facility.

She was even advised by a doctor to “simply give her up for adoption.”

Renee, a mother from Colorado Springs, removed them all from her hospital room and insisted on raising her child.

Kennedy has spectacularly surpassed their negative prediction 15 years later. The teen has participated in state-wide dance competitions, attended homecoming prom recently with her dedicated boyfriend Matthew, and models for prestigious companies around the US.

According to Renee, 40, “The night Kennedy arrived, I was heartbroken to learn she had the disease since I was being fed nothing but a negative, dark picture drawn by physicians and nurses who had no idea what my child’s future held.”

Only until a caring midwife informed me Kennedy was lovely and just like her daughter, who also had the illness, the following evening did I begin to feel hopeful.

Since I had no idea what having the condition meant, I asked if her daughter could walk as soon as possible. She just laughed. She had a 16-year-old daughter, so of course, she could walk.

The mother-of-four noticed the nurse’s descriptions of her daughter reminded her of many other teenagers Renee knew as she listened to the nurse’s story.

According to Renee, “It gave me hope for the future.” The majority of females of Kennedy’s age are like her now. She loves to dance, sing, and experiment with her hair and cosmetics. She has a group of friends that admire her. Along with her brother and their friends, she occasionally disobeys the law when they go to the movies.

“She has brought so much laughter and joy into our lives and has developed into a beautiful, hilarious young woman with the world at her feet,” her mother said.

Kennedy, who has posed for American Girl, Justice Clothing, and most recently, a nationwide US census television commercial, started dancing at five. She could only do it following the successful completion of a risky procedure intended to stabilize her neck and spine.

The top of Kennedy’s cervical spine was detaching from the base of her head just as she was making a full recovery from leukemia, we discovered. Renee continued, “It was a marvel she wasn’t already disabled.

Kennedy, whose father Frank is a security guard abroad, spent six months within a halo, a metal frame fitted into her head to keep her neck immobile.

According to Renee, Kennedy handled hospitalization and medical treatments well while maintaining a constant smile. She spent much time viewing dance videos while recovering in the halo. After she was healthy enough, I took Kennedy to her first dance lesson.

We haven’t looked back since, and she was unquestionably in her element.

Even the family dining room has been converted into a dancing studio, according to Renee. She claims Kennedy practices her routines there constantly with the music blasting.

Kennedy currently has a contract with the talent management firm KMR Diversity and Dream. She frequently flies from Colorado Springs to Hollywood and New York to apply for modeling jobs, participate in photo shoots, and appear as an extra in television productions.

She first met her loving partner, Matthew, a 19-year-old artist and actor, when she was 12. Her 20-year-old sister Kassidy and her brothers, Kameron, 18, and Keegan, 12, are also close to the adolescent.

Kennedy and her mother were at an audition for an advertisement when Matthew, who also has a genetic condition, saw them. “I think my phone’s broken since it’s missing your number,” he stated as he handed Kennedy his mobile, according to Renee.

He was such a great talker, but I also admired how brave and hilarious he was. At the time, Kennedy said she didn’t understand what Matthew was talking about, but I knew then that he and she would become great friends.

I said that Kennedy was thrilled and that Matthew thought she was cute. They started FaceTiming each other on the drive home and soon established themselves as close friends. Kennedy was invited to the homecoming dance last year, and he also asked her if she would date him.

Emmy, the mother of Renee and Matthew, now flies the teenagers back and forth between California and Colorado so they may visit each other at least once a month. The mothers have also grown close friends.

Renee drove Kennedy to New York for a job in October, when she also went clothes shopping for her homecoming. Renee wondered as she observed her daughter spinning around in the teal A-line dress.

Renee explains, “This was the same child doctors told me needed to be institutionalized.” It’s amazing how ignorant everyone was back then, especially considering it was just 15 years ago. Since I had been misled into thinking none of the customary milestones would be attained, I regret wasting time grieving over experiences like prom dress shopping.

Renee visited the hospital where she gave birth to Kennedy on the occasion of her first birthday and left a care package for laboring mothers of infants with Down syndrome. The box contained lovely onesies with messages honoring the kids’ individuality and copies of uplifting literature that had helped Renee understand what her child’s chromosome abnormality meant for them.

She claims, “I put my contact information there and begged with the midwives to give my card to new mothers of children like Kennedy. Many people have contacted me over the years due to that basket. I hope their pleasant interactions with me and learning about everything Kennedy had accomplished spared their mothers the needless suffering and misery I had.

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