Colin- A Sister's Perspective

My name is Tara. I’m 26 years old and live in Chicago.

My brother, Colin, in 10 years old. He was born with Down syndrome and is currently in 4th grade at a Catholic school in Michigan City, Indiana. He loves swimming, playing Fortnite and his dog, Max!

I have 3 other brothers besides Colin. We all grew up going to Catholic schools, so it was important to us that we fight for inclusion at all levels of Colin’s education so that he has access to the same opportunities that we did, and more. We’re so proud of him as he continues to break down barriers between himself and the world around him in so many different ways.

Although we’ve encountered plenty of road bumps along the way, it’s so encouraging to see the way his presence and friendship positively affects his classmates and friends. We already know all that he is capable of, but it’s incredible to watch him share that with others as well, and maybe change some minds about inclusion of people with special needs.

Today, I work as the social media and marketing coordinator for LuMind Research Down Syndrome Foundation (LuMind RDS) alongside my mom, Margie, who is currently the Director of Development.

Each year we host a fundraiser in Chicago called Funding Futures. We’ve raised over $750,000 for LuMind RDS and Down syndrome research. LuMind is currently focused on identifying and accelerating high impact research aimed at improving sleep, speech & cognition, preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and advancing understanding of Down syndrome.