Bucks County senior shares story with "A Girl With Down Syndrome" book
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Bucks County 19-year-old is sharing her unique outlook on living life with Down syndrome in her very own book.
Just days ahead of her senior prom, Council Rock South High School's Mackenzie Patterson now, also an author, sat down with CBS News Philadelphia to discuss her new book, "A Girl With Down Syndrome."
"It's for anyone who wants to read it. Any family members, any parents who have disabilities, anyone who has it," Patterson said.
As a close family friend and an author himself, David Cochran helped Patterson after she reached out to him for some help.
"She told me it was her chance to share her perspective on what it's like to live life with Down syndrome," Cochran said.
And her life is exactly what Mackenzie, or Kenz as her family and friends call her, wrote about.
"I just think about some ideas that I loved about myself, my amazing friends in school, love my family so much, especially my mom. She's my rock," Patterson said.
Kenz's family and their love and support, as you'd imagine, play prominently in the book.
"So the big thing and the big reason why I wanted to help her write it was the emphasis on her support system," Cochran said. "Kenz talks a lot about how she embraces who she is and how she's grown to become the inspirational figure she is today. But each chapter, she really puts an emphasis on those around her, like her family, her teachers, her friends, who whenever she was facing low moments, was able to pick her up and encourage her," Cochran said.
And that's why the book, which is available on Amazon, is a great read and a source of inspiration for anyone.
Proof positive that only the individual can determine what limits them.
