Down Syndrome Twins Are Using Social Media To Spread Joy And Awareness

Oct 16, 2019

Little kids are cute. They're learning how the world works and discovering new things. We were all little kids at one point in our lives. Though technology has changed over the decades, parents still find ways to share cute moments their kids have. Additionally, parents have a tendency to share tons of cute pictures of their children as they grow up into adults.

Julie and Dan McConnel are no exception to this. Around four years ago, the couple had a pair of twin boys named Milo and Charlie. Milo and Charlie are your typical toddlers. They run around, laugh at silly animals, and love dressing up for Halloween.

One of the reasons people are so enthralled with the adorable twins is because they have Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome is a genetic condition that results in cognitive and functional delays throughout a person's life. Parents tend to have a difficult time raising children with

Down Syndrome due to the additional health complications that can accompany their children. Poor eyesight and heart disease are two of the leading complications. Society can be very cruel at times. Some people have taken it upon themselves to make those with Down Syndrome feel inferior to people without the genetic condition.

Thankfully, people like Julie and Dan make sure that the world knows the truth about people with Down Syndrome. Milo and Charlie are incredibly happy kids that love enjoying life.

There may be problems along the journey, but the benefits are always worth it. The parents decided they would use social media as their platform in order to broadcast the amazing reality of Down Syndrome.

Julie and Dan stated that they hope that other parents who have received news of their children having Down Syndrome will be inspired by their story instead of frightened.

They have no regrets when it comes to their children and they wouldn't change a thing. The goal of their social media accounts is to build a community that teaches fellow families what Down Syndrome is like and why it should be embraced instead of shunned.

Julie was very thankful for the people who educated her while she was pregnant with the twins. Julie and Dan want to provide others with the same resources they received.

“My hope is to attract families that are receiving a diagnosis of Down syndrome for their child because that can be really scary. I hope that people will find us, and see that this is what life can be like,” Julie said to WTSP 10 News. 

Julie and Dan always throw a party for their boys when they reach important milestones. They may have accomplished these milestones at a later time than other kids their age, but nonetheless, it's a celebration in the McConnel household.

Milo and Charlie's situation is extremely rare. The odds of fraternal twins both having Down Syndrome is approximately a one in 14 million chance.

Over the past couple of years, people have been growing more understanding of what Down Syndrome is. However, there is still lots of misinformation surrounding the condition. Additionally, individuals with Down Syndrome continually have difficulty finding jobs, getting married, and more. These issues need to be addressed and put to a halt.

Julie and Dan want to thank the families who came before them that paved the way to where we are now as a society in terms of accepting Down Syndrome. Progress is definitely being made due to the increase in knowledge about the condition.

The McConnel family hopes people have a better understanding of Down Syndrome after checking out their social media.

Tell us what you thought below! Did you appreciate the cute pictures of Milo and Charlie? Let us know in the comments and pass this along to your friends and family to brighten their days, too!