Two days before I attended my first Buddy Walk, I saw a post on Instagram that said “You ever want to see someone truly dance like no one is watching? Join a Buddy Walk one day and then just watch. And learn.”

Guess what? It was like a day-long dance party that left me filled up with the greatest hope, dreams and immense pride.

A Buddy Walk is an annual event sponsored by the National Down Syndrome that is 100% a celebration of a life with an extra chromosome. It’s less about politics, bills, expectations, discrimination or anything else than other NDSS events but has perhaps the greatest impact. A celebration is incredibly powerful. Buddy Walks consist of a gathering with food, music (definitely dancing), speakers and, of course, a walk filled with teams. Each team celebrates a different individual with Down syndrome and sometimes they have matching shirts, signs, decorations.

The New York City Buddy Walk, 25 years and running, is one of many across the country — and the largest, too! This year, there were more than 2,000 attendees! One team alone raised more than $5,000!

This was my first Buddy Walk and I will be back many, many times. We started a team for Zach hoping we’d have a handful of people and wound up with more than a dozen friends and family supporting us in Times Square and Central Park.

Our exciting Saturday began with a video on a Jumbotron in Times Square with 500 selected images of people with Down syndrome. There were milestones, dancers, students and everyday moments. A photo of Zach was chosen for the video and I cannot believe that my friend Nicole managed to capture the moment he saw himself up on the big screen. (And I can’t believe what a great photo he took of it with a friend’s phone in the midst of that excitement!).

Tourists paused to check out the video and smile at our large group, several hundred people strong, standing around Duffy Square with phones pointed up at the screen in excited anticipation. Cheers could be heard as young adults saw themselves up on the screen, arms up in the air in celebration. Applause and “aww”s came through the busy intersection every few seconds as the photos changed on the screen. I loved seeing so many familiar faces of new and old friends up on that screen.

But that wasn’t it!
Off to the Great Hill in Central Park we all went for the actual Buddy Walk events, many of us wearing our green T-shirts. The park was FILLED with our group! There were hundreds of donated teddy bears from FACE Amusement, bottled water from Polar, food, games, face painting and more. And some amazing music, too! There was Zumba and speakers and so many beautiful hugs.

I was lucky enough to spend the one-mile walk around Central Park near the front of the group, hanging out with the Grand Marshals of the parade and their families. Before the walk, they told stories of hope and belief and I know they inspired so many that day. I loved watching their excitement during the countdown at the starting line and the joy at receiving medals at the finish line.

And then, at a dance party on the stage, I took a moment to focus not just on the dancers showing off their best moves, but to look at the parents, siblings, grandparents, extended family members and friends at the front of the stage. These loved ones were watching with the biggest smiles on their faces, holding up phones to capture the memories, singing along, clapping their hands.

You know what wasn’t present? Pity. Sympathy. Sadness. Regret. Nope. Those things weren’t invited.

Those parents were a reflection on my own journey. I see and feel no sadness when I think of Zachary. I feel the utmost joy and pride. If he were on that stage, I would have been beaming, too. Oh wait, I was. Because I truly never felt as much “community” as I did watching those other parents that day. The things I would tell the “me” of nine years ago. I would love to tell her about a dance party in Central Park with 2,000 of our closest friends.

I cannot begin to express how grateful I am for the people who joined our team, made the trip and celebrated Zachary this year. And you better watch out: I am *SO* excited to begin planning for next year’s Buddy Walk adventure.

Enjoy this peek into our day!