Kay was chosen for the 2026 National Down Syndrome Society Times Square Video Presentation!
For the past several years, I’ve submitted Kay’s photo, hoping that maybe this would be the year she would be one of the 500 individuals with Down syndrome selected to appear on the giant screens in the heart of Times Square. Every year I crossed my fingers, checked my email, and hoped for good news.
This year, the email finally came.
“We are thrilled to inform you that your photo has been chosen…”
I don’t think I’ve ever opened an email so fast. I immediately started smiling, crying, and sharing the news with our family. It was one of those moments that doesn’t quite feel real.
The photo that was selected is one of my absolute favorites. It’s Kay with Maeve, her diabetic alert dog, and I couldn’t imagine a more perfect photo to represent this chapter of our lives. It captures so much more than a smile. It captures friendship, trust, and a bond that has become such an important part of Kay’s journey.
For those who may not know, every year the National Down Syndrome Society hosts the Times Square Video Presentation to kick off the NYC Buddy Walk. Five hundred individuals with Down syndrome are selected from submissions around the country, and their photos are displayed on the massive digital billboards in Times Square for thousands of people to see. It is a celebration of inclusion, awareness, and the incredible people who make up the Down syndrome community.
The presentation will take place on September 12, 2026, and this year, Kay will be one of the faces shining in Times Square.
Just typing that gives me goosebumps.
As if being selected wasn’t exciting enough, we also get to be there in person to experience it.
We are going to New York City.
There is something so surreal about knowing we’ll be standing in Times Square, looking up at those enormous screens, waiting to see Kay’s smiling face appear. I know the moment it happens, I’ll probably be crying. It’s hard to put into words what it means as a mom to watch your child be celebrated exactly as they are.
So often, conversations about Down syndrome focus on diagnoses, appointments, therapies, and the challenges. Those things are certainly part of our lives, but moments like this remind me that there is also so much joy. There is celebration. There is representation. There are opportunities to show the world just how amazing our children are.
I also love that the photo includes Maeve because she has become such an important part of Kay’s journey. From learning to alert to blood sugar changes to growing alongside Kay every day, their friendship is something truly special. Having that captured in a photo that will be displayed in one of the most recognizable places in the world feels incredibly meaningful.
We are beyond grateful to the National Down Syndrome Society for creating opportunities like this and for celebrating individuals with Down syndrome in such a powerful way. Representation matters, and seeing hundreds of smiling faces together sends such an important message.
September can’t come soon enough.
We’ll be making memories that I know we’ll treasure forever, and I already know that seeing Kay’s face light up Times Square will be one of the proudest moments of my life.
New York City, here we come.