Lila’s Story

We asked a local family here in Central Arkansas to share their story about their daughter and what they’re most looking forward to at GiGi’s Playhouse Little Rock.

This is Lila’s story…

This is sweet Lila from Little Rock, and she’s 6 years old.

She loves to eat fresh blackberries, swim, play with her dolls, and dance to “Let It Go.”

We found out that she would have a 98 percent chance of having Down syndrome through a blood test before she was born. Based on how the doctor described Down syndrome, we were devastated. At the time, we didn’t know very much about Down syndrome at all. We believed the statistics that said she would suffer from terrible health issues and that she would be very limited.

We thought our hopes and dreams for her were lost.

But when Lila was born, her diagnosis was not what we noticed first. She was the most precious baby we had ever seen! We were instantly in love. She needed to be loved and cared for just like any other baby. As she has grown, she has needed many of the same things most children do. We’ve celebrated every little thing she accomplishes, just like other families do.

The things that make Lila happy are similar to what makes most people happy! Do you like ice cream? Do you like to be with your friends and family? Do you like to watch your favorite movies and sing your favorite songs? If so, you have a few things in common with Lila.

Similarly, the things that make Lila sad or mad might be the same for you. She gets sad when she’s hurt or when someone she loves is sick. She gets mad when she can’t do something she wants – like if she can’t wear her Elsa costume to school every single day.

Still Lila does have some differences that you might not have experienced. She had heart surgery at a young age, and she has to visit a heart doctor once a year. Bright lights, loud noises, and weird smells sometimes cause her to feel overwhelmed. She goes to therapy a few times a week for a little extra help learning important things for her age like: how to say what she needs, how to walk down the stairs safely, or how to write her name. She understands what you say to her, but has trouble responding, so she uses a special iPad app to speak for her.

Now we can’t imagine life without Lila. She has a sweet and spunky personality. Everyone around her always says how much they love her.

She helps us all to stop and experience every moment in life instead of rushing through them.

Our lives are so much more rich with Lila here.

And what about our fears that Lila would be limited and that she wouldn’t achieve any goals or dreams? Lila is living life her own way, and she’s overcoming obstacles and achieving goals in ways we could never have imagined. In fact, Lila is already showing us her talents and what she CAN do. She is a successful artisan who sells her products in a local shop, and she’s earning money for her future. She’s even been on the news a few times to show Arkansas what she CAN do. Check out her website at www.joinlila.com/shop if you want to see what she makes! We are proud of our girl.

What we want most is for Lila to grow up to be safe, loved, and accepted in our community. We’re so excited about GiGi’s Little Rock because it will be a place of support for Lila for her entire life, and she’ll always have a place where she is accepted.

We’re also excited about GiGi’s in Arkansas because we want new parents to find out about Down syndrome differently than we did. We were so scared, and we had nowhere to turn.

GiGi’s in Little Rock will show new parents that people with Down syndrome are capable of growing up to achieve their dreams.

We’re excited for Lila to have a place where other people believe in her just as much as we do!

– Lila’s Parents