One of my first and favorite memories of Lucy was when she was 4 years old. We were walking down a busy street to get donuts with four adults and three small children in our group.

During the 2020 Lockdown year, my partner and I had the opportunity to POD up with the beloved Gungor family. We got to stay in their backhouse during that time and on one sunny summer morning Lucy knocked on the door and said “Hi fano! *smiling without her teeth from ear to ear* Where’s em?

"There have been so many instances where I will hear a faint cry coming from another room or the backyard, and then immediately the sound of little footsteps running over to where the adults are hanging out, and then finally Lucy bursts in with “GUYS! Ame (sister) is crying!”

After Lulu was born and about to go into her first heart surgery, Lisa and I sat worried sick in the hospital room—not just for the surgery but for the future as a whole. Would we be able to handle being parents of a child with Down Syndrome?

The words felt like a distant voice playing over and over, like a needle on a record player getting stuck and repeating the phrase.. 'She has signs consistent with Down Syndrome' again and again. I remember her 5 pound body being so blue and limp, and I remember trying to wrap my mind around it all.

Name: Lucette Gungor

Age: 7

Hobbies: Swimming, wrestling, dancing. "The most important thing I do each day is.. watch movies.My favorite thing about myself is.. how I dance. The best moments in my life are cuddling my sister."