By Luke Voogt
Local mothers and the Geelong community will “Step Up” on Sunday during a walk to support children with Down syndrome.
Jo Montano helped bring the Down Syndrome Victoria fund-raiser to Geelong, after the charity supported son Alex’s transition into mainstream schooling in 2016.
Jo and her husband found out Alex had Down syndrome after his birth, but knew he had an increased risk from prenatal screening.
The Indy caught up with Jo recently after she shared Alex’s story last year.
“He’s in Grade 1, and he’s loving it,” she said. “He’s playing with his friends and learning heaps.”
She admitted she had been daunted at first about Alex’s prospects of living independently and getting a job.
“But the more Alex has grown, the more I’ve realised it’s not going to be as challenging as I thought.”
While children with Down syndrome have delayed development, Jo believed in her son’s potential.
“It takes a little bit of extra effort to get to the milestone, but they will get there.
“Kids with Down syndrome are just normal kids and other people with children with Down syndrome understand. They just want to be included.”
Jo said about 200 people attended the walk last year.
She encouraged locals to visit stepupfordownsyndrome.org.au/vic to register for the event, or register on the day.
Step Up Geelong begins 9.30am at Eastern Beach Reserve on 15 October.
