Meet David

This pillow is named after David, a young man with Down syndrome, who loves dancing as part of the HipHop Homies (With Extra Chromies).

 

David was born on November 11, 1983 as a critically ill newborn premature baby.  The hardest moment of his mother’s life was when he was 20 months old and three days post op from his heart surgery. She walked into the PICU to see the crash team working on her son. When she asked what was wrong, they looked up and said, “We’re losing him. Go call your husband.” She says that night changed her forever. Now she knows that each day her son is alive is a bonus day. A day she never thought she would know.

 

David is a vibrant young man and is truly the “Wind Beneath my Wings”. He is the reason his mom, Gina, founded Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona over 29 years ago.

 

David would probably want you to know that he is, “Chick Magnet”.  He would tell you that he will someday be a famous rock-star, with his own band.  David would want you to know that someday he wants to get married (preferably to Megan) and have a daughter named “Savanna” and a son named “Jackson”. 

 

If David could only do one thing every day, it would be to go and hang out at the home of his beloved friend, Carol Tingey and her family. He tells his mom that his real name is now, “David Johnson Tingey” and that Carol is his ‘real’ mom. He affectionately nicknamed her, “Mrs. Potts” or “Potts”, even though she tells him her name should be, “Belle”.  If his sweet mom, Gina, could only have one wish for every child with Down syndrome, it would be that they could have a friend like “Potts”, who loves them for exactly the person they are.