The annual Happy Walk for Down Syndrome yesterday broke record attendance with more than 5,000 participants as the event was held simultaenously at the SMX Convention Center in Mall of Asia and in Cebu and Davao cities.
Hans Sy, chairman of the executive committee of SM Prime Holdings Inc., US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim and Thai Deputy Chief of Mission Urawadee Sriphiromya attended the event and took part in the dance numbers and the main walk around MOA.
This year marks the third consecutive year that the US Embassy, led by its ambassador, has taken part in the Happy Walk, which is done in celebration of the National Down Syndrome Consciousness Month.
Kim said he is grateful for being invited once again to the event. “I am grateful to SM for hosting this wonderful event with the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines Inc. (DSAPI),” he said during the event.
The Happy Walk for Down Syndrome, now on its 16th year, was held in partnership with SM Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Prime Holdings Inc.
The project has come a long way since it started on Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City with only a handful of parents with Down Syndrome participating.
Elmer Lapena, chairman of DSAPI, said aside from the Happy Walk, they have launched their health clinic which caters to children with Down Syndrome.
“This is important because a child with Down Syndrome needs to see at least ten doctors with different specializations because of their various health conditions,” Lapena said adding that at least 30 percent of children with Down Syndrome have heart problems.
He said the health clinics will be conducted in different parts of the country starting April.
Down syndrome (DS), also called Trisomy 21, is a condition in which an extra genetic material called chromosome 21 causes delays in the way a child develops, both mentally and physically.
There is no known cause or cure but Lapena said 80 percent of babies with the condition are born to mothers aged 35 year and below even as the risk of having a baby with Down Syndrome increases as women get older.
Health data show that one person with Down Syndrome is born in the Philippines every four hours. That accounts for around 1,900 cases each year in the Philippines in a population of 1.5 million live births. This means over 100,000 families in the country are living with a person with Down Syndrome
Lapena said contrary to popular belief, Down Syndrome is a common genetic disorder that affects one in every 800 Filipino children, which is why it is vital that their inclusion to society is achieved.
“The program aims to help the child’s development and meet the needs of the child and the family at different developmental stages. Early Intervention is necessary to arm the family with the information needed to bring out their child’s fullest potential and to provide a checklist of activities to be done to assure the child’s healthy growth and development,” Lapena said..