You may have seen a photo of this cute little girl doing the rounds on the internet earlier this year.
The picture was of two-year-old Millie Elizabeth who has Down syndrome, and the shot was shared by the toddler’s mother Andrea Newsham who, like any other mother, wanted to show off her cute baby girl.
Millie’s picture was posted on Andrea’s Facebook page to commemorate World Down Syndrome Day on March 21 this year.
Since then her cute smiling face has gone viral, receiving more than 100,000 likes and 17,000 comments.
In the original post Andrea wanted to highlight what a blessing her baby had been and how it broke her heart to see people stare at her in a way that other children weren’t stared at.
The caption read:
“My name is Millie and I was born with DS. My mum tells me I’m beautiful so I wonder why the grown ups stare at me when we go out … it makes my mum sad. I know I need a little extra care and sometimes I have difficult days but my mum just embraces it. The best thing is that I get extra kisses for being so brave. I may do things at a slower pace but then surprise you with learning quickly. I’m just a cheeky cute 2-year-old with a lot of love to give. Please share to give hope and inspiration to others on the same path.”
Andrea – who has liked every comment – said she and Mark were “overwhelmed with the support.”
“We didn’t expect it so it was truly amazing,” said Andrea.
In another candid blog post, Andrea opened up about her and husband Mark’s journey – and moment the parents-of-one discovered that their daughter had Down syndrome – explaining the doctor’s diagnosis was quite as shock: “I had no idea. I looked to my lovely husband, who was always so placid, he had gone white as a sheet. He asked to leave the room to compose himself, my heart sank, I’d never seen him like that before.”
Whilst Andrea admits that it can at times be tough, particularly at the beginning with many appointments, from physio to speech, she and her husband have embraced everything about Millie.
“I know we are biased but Millie is beautiful; she is cute and cheeky but lovely with it,” wrote Andrea.
Many messages of support have come Andrea’s way since she shared Millie’s picture and her blog, including one from the founder of clothing brand Jojo Mama Bebe, Laura Tenison, who wrote: “Andrea, you must be so proud of Millie. She is a totally wonderful little bundle of joy. I’m sure your blog will make others as emotional as I am after reading it.”
Millie’s adorable face has landed a modelling gig for the baby clothing brand which a huge step forward for kids like Millie to be able to see other kids like them represented in ad campaigns.
