Down Syndrome: Meet Four Inspiring People With Down Syndrome Who Never Gave Up

Down syndrome has not stopped these people from pursuing their dreams.

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Days after Madeline Stuart, an Australian teenager and aspiring model with Down syndrome landed two big modeling contracts with American clothing brands, we burrowed down the web tunnel looking for other inspirational stories. And here is what we found.

Laura Green, a 28-year-old woman with Down syndrome, runs her own successful jewelry company after being told by advisers that she was not cut out for business.

The young, lively entrepreneur owns Serendipity Fashion, a company she runs from her hometown in Cheshire, England. Laura is known for her outgoing, bubbly personality and is invited by event managers all over the country to share her inspirational story. In a recent interview with BBC, the woman with Down syndrome told how her college years were a difficult time in her life, and Laura revealed the reasons she chose fashion as her career.

“I didn’t want to work in Asda. I wanted to run my own business. There was no career planning at school for me. I was just killing time until I was moved onto the next step in the system. After three years I said ‘no more’ and I left. I decided that I wanted to work in fashion. Not for someone else but I wanted to set up my own business selling fashion accessories. So that’s what I did.”

Laura runs the business with her friend, Rachel Melarangi, who also has Down syndrome. As Metro reported, Laura and Rachel had the idea in 2010 and after receiving backing from the Prince’s Trust, the two friends decided to go ahead with their career choice.

“I am a businesswoman, a woman who runs her own business, how many other 28 year olds can say that.”

And if Madeline’s and Laura’s journeys are not inspirational enough, wait till you hear this. Micah Quinones, an eleven-month-old with Down syndrome, already has more than 30,000 followers on Instagram.

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Micah’s mother, Amanda Booth, operates Micah’s Instagram account, but his cute pictures have won over a legion of fans, and he reportedly has a modeling contract on offer.

In an interview with ABC News, Amanda, a successful model in her own right who has just finished shooting a Lancome commercial with Julia Roberts, spoke about her superstar baby.

“I felt like when we [she and her husband] got married, there was all this weird pressure on us to have kids. People would always say things like, ‘you two have to have kids, they’ll be so gorgeous’ and I was like ‘who are these crazy people?’ but I guess they were right.”

And before we wrap it up, we would like to remind you of the wonderful story of Jamie Brewer, the first model with Down syndrome to have walked the runway at the New York Fashion Week earlier this year. As ET Online reported, Jamie is already a well-known face on American television, having played the character of Nan on FX’s show American Horror Story.

Madeline Stuart, Laura Green, Jamie Brewer and Micah Quinones are just some of the thousands of people with Down syndrome who are changing the world’s perception regarding disability. They remain an inspiration for millions of people who are struggling every day to forge their unique identities. Down syndrome, for all its menace, has failed to down these heroes.

[Photo: lifewithmicah Instagram, madelinesmodelling_ Instagram, Laura Green’s Serendipity Facebook, Jason Kempin / Getty Images]