Why I Walk by Mandy Jeffries-Cancino

Why I walk….

At the time my son, Connor, was born GiGi’s Playhouse Sugar Land was only a beginning thought in another parent’s head. In fact, some of our founding kids, like Grace Ross was 1, Sadie Blahuta and Cruz O’Dell had only been born weeks before Connor. And, Carter Durham was lying in a crib in the Ukraine waiting for his mom and dad to bring him home.

Connor’s diagnosis was a surprise to us. We didn’t find out until the evening on his birth date when the on-call pediatrician stopped by to tell us that Connor had several markers for something called, Down syndrome. I had no clue what Connor’s diagnosis meant for us and I was completely devastated. Within days of us getting our official diagnosis and us sharing the news with our friends and family, I had friends of friends with kids who had Down syndrome reaching out to us.

I often think about what if I didn’t have those connections? What if I would have been completely alone in this journey, when I needed support the most.

This is why I walk. I walk so that future moms and dads can have access to the same help, love, and support that I did when I started our journey.

I walk to raise money and awareness of an organization that makes a difference in the lives of families with Down syndrome, at every stage of life. I walk because GiGi’s Playhouse Sugar Land is a place of finding your tribe and building community. It’s a place where seasoned moms can mentor young moms. I walk because I want to know that for the rest of Connor’s life he will have a place that speaks up for him, that finds worth in him, and that is fighting for the way society sees him.

That is why I walk.

Mandy Cancino

Connor’s Mom