Determined Girl Who Has Down Syndrome Jumps With Joy After Scoring First Ever Basketball Shot

A determined girl with Down Syndrome and her proud parents jump with joy after repeatedly shooting without giving up until she makes her first-ever basketball shot.

Emalee Pinard, aged eight, was diagnosed with Down Syndrome moments after she was born in 2015, which came as a huge shock, mom Nao, 41, said.

After visions of having a neurotypical daughter, Nao said she quickly realized the joy, magic, and happiness that comes from raising a child with Down Syndrome, and she now cannot imagine Emalee or her life without the condition.

Over the years that followed, Nao opted to share her daughter’s development on social media to spread awareness of Down Syndrome and celebrate Emalee’s achievements along the way.

Emalee is hard-working and tenacious, Nao said, and at a local neighborhood park near the family’s Toronto home, she asked if she could try to make a basket on a nearby basketball court.

Knowing her daughter rarely stops until she has completed a task, Nao and her husband, Shaun, 41, let their daughter attempt a shot, which, at first, resulted in failure.

Despite that first miss, though, a determined Emalee asked her parents if she could try again and again.

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As her daughter took shot after shot, Nao had her camera rolling, capturing each attempt, with many coming agonizingly close.

Then, when Emalee eventually scored a basket, she and her parents could not hide their delight, with the eight-year-old jumping up and down to celebrate while her dad gave her a well-earned high-five.

Nao, whose social media account for her daughter has thousands of followers, said she shared her video of Emalee’s shot – and misses – to inspire others to keep persisting.

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She said: “This is Emalee just being herself, doing what she does best.

“She is hard-working and tenacious, and when she puts her mind towards something, she rarely stops until she completes the task.

“She works hard like this every day – whether at home, school, or any of the various therapies she attends.

“She’s also a wonderful cheerleader, not just for herself, but for others as well.”

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