Holding a baby is special for anyone – looking at their tiny features and curious eyes, and feeling that kind of protective responsibility that comes from the slightly terrifying reality of this little person being so small and vulnerable to the world. Daniel Throop
loves
babies, but the 20-year-old
was never allowed to hold them, on account of his
.
Despite the fact that his condition doesn't affect his ability to hold or comfort tiny children, he was sadly often refused
permission to cuddle them. The reality is that people often fail to see past his Down's Syndrome to understand what an affectionate and loving person he really is inside.
But now, Daniel's story has gone viral after some heart-warming pictures of him holding a
were posted online. Uploading the pictures to Reddit, Daniel’s older brother Kevin explained how he wanted to break the stigma against people with
holding babies. It's Kevin’s three-month-old baby Maysen Ava that Daniel is cradling in his arms.
"My brother is a low functioning downsie," Kevin wrote alongside the pictures. "He used to love to hold babies but it’s rare someone let’s [sic] him now."
"My wife and I let him hold our baby today and here is his look when we gave her to him and then the way he held her without movement for 5 minutes. I almost cried. :)"
Kevin said this was the first time Daniel met his niece after having just returned home to California from a trip to New Guinea with his parents. The post reached over
16 million
readers, was upvoted 133,000 times and attracted over 650 comments. Most people were showing their appreciation for having shared the pictures, thanking Kevin for the message he spread.
One person said,
"This post is too pure for this world. So much love for you and your family" while another commented:
"I
have a sister with downs and her mental capacity has declined so much of as late. This brings tears to my eyes because I know the beautiful heart she has and how she used to express it. I miss the love she used to show so much. Lately she barely acknowledges me. Thank you for making that loving gesture to your brother. His reaction is priceless."
Another person acknowledged that there are "a lot of misconceptions around downs syndrome" because it's "highly variable" among people and that everyone should "be very careful about disparaging people with downs syndrome".
"The picture on the right brings a tear to my eye, such an amazing photo," said someone else. "Those with DS are some of the most loving human beings on this planet, and your photos show that perfectly."
Kevin replied to the overwhelming amount of supportive responses by posting his own comment. "Wow thank you Reddit! I'm legitimately choked up at all the kind things you internet strangers said," he wrote.
"I wish I could communicate all of it to him. I'm really touched and can't wait to show my parents all the uplifting comments. 100% chance my mom will start sobbing in a good way."
Later speaking with
Cafemom about his brother, he said "I hope people learn that individuals with DS give the purest type of love, all the kid wanted was to hold and be held. A really simple thing."
"When he was younger I think it was easier for people to show him affection, but now that he is older he is a child trapped in a man’s body and I think this changed people’s perception."
It's a heart-warming story that has really given fresh insight into those living with Down's Syndrome, hopefully making people aware of the prejudices they face.
