GOING FOR GOLD – World’s Fastest Man’s Message Relevant to Individuals with DS  

If you tuned into the Olympics on Sunday, you witnessed something that directly relates to the mission of GiGi’s Playhouse. 

…Yes, you read that right. 

Though we are Down Syndrome Achievement Centers, and we absolutely love the Special Olympics, the plight and obstacles individuals with Down syndrome face aren’t simply relegated to the Special Olympics or exclusive to individuals with disabilities.  

The societal hurdles members of the Down syndrome community face are universal; they’re the same issues that we all face, whether we have a disability or not, and as of Sunday, they’re the same obstacles Olympic champions overcome. 

On Sunday, American sprinter Noah Lyles took home the title of world’s fast man in thrilling fashion, coming from behind and securing the gold in the 100-meter men’s race in track and field. It was such a close race that a photo finish was required to accurately determine the victor. 

Though the Olympic final was a nail-biter, one of the night’s biggest highlights came after Lyles was coronated world champion when he took to X (formerly Twitter) to offer up some inspiring words: 

“I have asthma, allergies, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety, and depression. But I will tell you that what you have does not define what you can become. Why Not You!”

Lyles’ tweet was bigger than a throwaway social media post or a self-congratulatory boast. Instead, Lyles’ words speak to something bigger than track and field, sports at large, and even bigger than the Olympics… 

Lyles’ words speak to resilience. 

Resilience is something we’re big on at GiGi’s Playhouse. Our participants are a resilient bunch – nearly all individuals with Down syndrome are.  

The truth is, like any disability, there are inherent obstacles that are associated with Down syndrome – low muscle tone, heart complications, delay in language acquisition and vocalization, etc. 

But individuals with Down syndrome triumph over these hurdles each day.  

At GiGi’s Playhouse, our FREE educational and therapeutic programming help our participants overcome these obstacles and accomplish their dreams, just like Lyles triumphed over difficulties on his path to winning gold. 

Yet, there’s another part of Lyles’ tweet that directly relates to Down syndrome and our participants – Lyles isn’t defined by his asthma, dyslexia, ADD, anxiety or depression.  

Similarly, our participants are more than a diagnosis. So much more. 

Sure, Down syndrome is a PART of who they are, but they’re also individuals with unique dreams, goals, personalities, skillsets, and more! 

The truth is, though individuals with Down syndrome have obstacles to overcome, they’re capable of accomplishing incredible feats: acting in movies, competing in Miss Teen USA, singing in front of thousands, running a marathon – and that’s just to name a few. 

At the end of the day, Down syndrome doesn’t define our participants. Like the newly anointed world’s fastest man, what they have does not define who they can become.