Minnesota family with 6 children born with Down syndrome advocates for community
The Spring family of Hutchinson, Minnesota, is the subject of two documentaries, as six of their 12 children were born with Down syndrome.
Leah Spring's fifth child was born with Down syndrome, and as she dove into the community, she and her husband learned about children in Eastern Europe who shared the same diagnosis.
"I was always working with kids in this population, and then so when I had my daughter, it was, 'it all makes sense.' It was preparation," Spring said.
The couple then adopted five children, including their son Asher, who is from Serbia.
People with Down syndrome have an extra copy of a chromosome, which changes how their body and brain develop.
Spring says everyone should know two key words when interacting with people who have Down syndrome: "presume competence."
"Every one of our kids have surprised us," she said.
Asher Spring's talents include sign language, his mother says.
"Down syndrome is not scary," Lisa Spring said. "I think how much we get from our kids. They say 'Oh you are so lucky' when talking about adoption. Like we are the lucky ones, we have this gift."
World Down Syndrome Day is on Friday, with celebrations around the state this weekend.
