“Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?”
– Frida Kahlo

Frida’s story is an amazing one. Not only was she known for being an amazing artist and her self-portraits, she was also famous for her outspokenness and bravery. She suffered from polio as a child, nearly died in a bus accident as a teenager, suffering multiple fractures of her spine, collarbone and ribs, a shattered pelvis, broken foot and dislocated shoulder. She began to focus heavily on painting while recovering in a body cast. In her lifetime, she had 30 operations. Needless to say, she overcame so much to do what she loved and what she was passionate about. She was resilient and kept pushing through and moving forward.

I see this type of determination and resilience in my own daughter. She works so hard to do some of the things we might find easy or simple…and she does it with a spirit that makes this mama proud every day. Ruby’s self portraits still resemble stick figures with crazy hair, but with each little milestone it brings us so much joy and the pride I see in her eyes melts my heart. Since starting Ruby’s Rainbow in 2012, I have learned so much about the capabilities of people with Down syndrome. I have been so inspired by each of their stories and blown away by their achievements. I see a little bit of “Frida” in each of them, and it gets me so excited for my own daughter’s future. I didn’t know anything about Down syndrome before Ruby was born, so learning about their amazing accomplishments was, and still is, a life line for me. Not only does it bring me hope, it pushes us to give her all the opportunities we can to help her spread her wings and fly.

One thing I have learned is there are some AMAZINGLY talented and inspiring artists who just happen to have Down syndrome that would no doubt have made Frida proud. Stay tuned for a story about one of them that will leave your heart smiling 🙂

#RubyAndNellaRockTheFuture