Toddler Graham Myers of Jennings and his best friend, Ellis Bull, of Lafayette are your typical two-year-olds.
They are cute, energetic and zooming through milestones like most toddlers.
The duo shares another trait — an extra chromosome. Because of this little extra chromosome, Ellis’ dad, Charles, calls the pair, the “Lagniappe Boys.”
The boys were born with Down syndrome just two weeks apart.
The two will soon share another special memory as their smiling faces will be featured in the spotlight of the giant digital screens among the bright lights of New York City’s Time Square.
Myers and Bull were selected to represent the Down syndrome community during the National Down Syndrome Society’s Times Square video presentation on Saturday,Sept. 7. The event precedes the annual New York City Buddy Walk and helps launch Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
They are among the more than 500 individuals with Down syndrome whose photos will appear on two jumbotron screens above Dos Caminos restaurant in Father Duffy Square. The hour-long slideshow will also be live-streamed on the National Down Syndrome Society’s Facebook page from 8:30-9:30 p.m. CST.
“This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is shaping up to be the national stage for awareness and advocacy we need for these incredible kids to showcase what thriving and blowing through milestones looks like for this generation of kids with Down syndrome,” Graham’s mother, Lauren Myers of Jennings said in a press release.
The video will feature a photo of Myers and Bull taken during an art class last fall held by Borderless Color. It was selected from nearly 3,000 entries submitted from across the country.
Their families will travel to New York City to see the boys’ smiling faces on the big screen. Their mission will also be to raise awareness for Down syndrome and promote the local non-profit, For Goodness Graham.
“Graham, and his Down syndrome, have been gifts far beyond my expectations,” Lauren Myers said. “HIs joy, silliness and determination have inspired me to create our non-profit For Goodness Graham. Our mission is to spread awareness, promote inclusion and foster acceptance of people with disabilities using books for children
The group has introduced Graham and donated books to classrooms that diversify their book collections to include disabled characters and their stories. The two families have also created a community for other littles with Down syndrome to share playdates and an online network.
“The outcomes for people with Down syndrome have improved exponentially since therapy and support systems for these kids and their families have been introduced, studied and improved,” Ellis’ mother, Kate Durio Bull of Lafayette said. “We see it with the generation ahead of our kids and we know even more now, so there are no limits to what our kids will be able to do in their lifetimes with early therapy intervention and information sharing.”
Lauren Myers said she and her husband, Tyler, couldn’t be prouder of their son.
She said Graham has made her a better person and she hopes to make the world a better place for him and others.
Kate Bull echoed those feelings.
“Being Ellis’ parents has been the greatest honor of our lives and we share that with day-in-the-life photos on social media in the form of “The Ellis Daily,” and we are looking forward to the rest of the world seeing our two ‘Lagniappe Boys’ thriving up there on the big screen, along with others who also happen to have Down Syndrome of all ages and locations around the country doing big things for advocacy and acceptance in their communities too,” Kate Bull said.
More than 5,000 babies are born with Down syndrome each year.
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The National Down Syndrome Society and For Goodness Graham contributed to this story
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