CdA family up with Down Syndrome

Cheryl and Kent Roberts might have a daughter with Down Syndrome, but they refuse to define her by that.

"Whenever someone asks, 'Is she a Downs child?' I say 'No, she has Down Syndrome, but she's a little girl,'" said Cheryl, watching her 5-year-old Emma read a book with Kent in their Coeur d'Alene home.

The couple believes their daughter is capable of everything, which is why they submitted Emma's photo to be part of the National Down Syndrome Society's video campaign.

The photo of Emma practicing karate moves was selected among thousands of entries, Cheryl said. The image will be included in a video about Down Syndrome awareness that is played on the jumbo screen in Times Square in New York City this Saturday.

Cheryl hopes that when people see the photo of her daughter, and photos of others with Down Syndrome doing regular activities, they will appreciate how much someone with Down Syndrome is capable of.

"I'm so proud," Cheryl said of her daughter being seen in Times Square. "It's right where she belongs, of course." - Alecia Warren