KENT COUNTY, Mich — Two West Michigan moms are preparing to travel to New York City this weekend, where their sons’ faces will appear on the big screens in Times Square as part of a national celebration.
Nicole Swadling and Alicia Mathieu—along with Swadling’s son, 11-year-old Blake, and Mathieu’s son, 7-year-old Levi—will attend the National Down Syndrome Society’s annual event in Times Square. Blake and Levi’s photos are among the 500 chosen from over 2,500 submissions nationwide to be displayed.
"We’ve applied for a couple years and this is our first year being selected,” Swadling said. “It feels kind of crazy and fun and exciting and something that is a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
For Swadling and Mathieu, it is a “pinch me” moment following years of raising children with special needs.
“I think it’s going to bring a lot of emotion, just because of, you know, the journey we’ve been on from the beginning… going from grief and not understanding what Down syndrome was to, you know, growing [the nonprofit Down to Defend] and advocating for intellectual and developmental disabilities."
Mathieu was named FOX 17 Person of the Month in 2022 for her nonprofit, Down to Defend, where Swadling also volunteers. Both have been supporters of the Down syndrome community.
Last year, they traveled to Washington, D.C., when Down to Defend was honored by the National Down Syndrome Society as “Organization of the Year.”
“We offer different safety classes and resources to those living with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” Mathieu explained. “The reason it came about was because I came across a statistic that individuals with IDD are sexually assaulted at a rate seven times higher, and that there’s a 90% chance at some point in their life they will be lost. And so our hope is to combat all of those statistics and help these individuals live safer, more fulfilling lives.”
Swadling and Mathieu expect emotions to run high this weekend.
“I think I’m probably going to cry tears of happiness and joy just that my boy is up on the big screen, and he’s being recognized, one of the many beautiful faces of Down syndrome,” Swadling said.
Both women plan to also participate in the Buddy Walk, organized by the NDSS.
A third West Michigan face will also grace the screens as part of the celebration: Rhys Kharmai-Freed.
The presentation is set for Saturday, September 6th. It will be livestreamed on the NDSS Facebook page.
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