RILEY

PHOTO BY RANDY BACON

RILEY

“One of My Greatest Joys”

My name is Riley. I am nice and I am 15. I am an athlete and I love to dance. I love my parents and my sister. Down syndrome is something that makes me awesome and cool. It makes some things easy and some things hard. Sometimes it is hard to have Down syndrome because people don’t understand me. It is hard for me to say what I want to say. And sometimes, I can’t hear very well, I wear hearing aids and that helps. It can be hard to communicate, and I get frustrated. Math is hard too. I want people to know that I need them to be patient with me and listen to me. I love to make friends. I want to be liked. I love powerlifting and basketball. They are my favorite sports. 

When you say hi to me or give me a high five it makes me feel good. I want to be treated just like you want to be treated. I don’t like it when people hurt my feelings or call my friends names.

I want to be loved. I am happiest when I am with my family and my friends doing fun things. It makes me sad when other people are sad. It makes me sad when my friends' feelings get hurt. I don’t like it when they get teased.

When I hear the word “love” I think of my family who supports me. I also think of my friends. Love is when someone loves you and knows you. I have a dream to be a famous dancer who is popular. I want to go to college at Missouri State University and graduate. I want to get married and be happy. 

MINDY (Riley's mother)

When Riley was born, we had no idea what the future would hold for us or for him. We had so many questions and fears. A distant family member called me when Riley was about a month old. She had a son with Down syndrome who was 8 at the time. He said, “just be his mom and let him just be your baby boy.”

In the last 15 years, we have learned a lot. Riley has taught us to live in the moment. He shows us every day how to love deeply and never misses an opportunity to show you how he feels. Riley sees the beauty inside everyone…never the wrinkles on the outside. I don’t think people understand how compassionate, fun, and amazing he is. Sometimes I think people overlook all Riley has to offer because they don’t really understand his diagnosis. Riley is the guy who notices when you are sad and offers a hug to console you. He is the guy who laughs from the belly when you tell a joke no matter how corny it is. He is the guy that holds your hand and cries with you when you are sad. He is the guy who sings loudly and dances big on the street when a song he likes comes on. Riley doesn’t concern himself with the fear of the sideways glance the way the rest of us do. He is inspiring and stubborn and fun and challenging, and he teaches us all so much every day. He is his sister’s number one fan. He is his dad’s best buddy. Riley is one of my greatest joys.