The Trista Series 7/7: Heather, Friend

(THE TRISTA SERIES 7/7: Heather, Friend)

A few years ago I opened up my Instagram DMs to find a message sharing an account with me of a woman who loves hip hop and happens to have Down syndrome. I remember clicking on her profile, falling in love with her and thinking, “she will be Macy’s mentor and my BFF!” The account was @tristathebarista and the woman was Trista. Over the next year or so we created an IG relationship, tagging each other in dance videos and commenting on each other’s posts. As a lady committed to the art of hip hop dance, Trista connected us to @peacelovehiphop, a studio in South Carolina where Trista often dances.  In 2021 our family of five flew across the nation so our daughter Macy could spend her 13th birthday dancing at Peace Love Hip Hop and meeting Trista. 

When meeting an online friend IRL (as they say!) there’s no guarantee a real connection will be made. Well, on June 29th 2021 Macy walked into the Peace Love Hip Hop dance studio and was met with a huge hug from Trista. That night we hit it off. The next night she invited us to her apartment for dinner with her family and friends and the rest is history. When we were making plans for our summer Storytelling tour, Trista and her family were at the top of our list and this past summer we got to spend a week hanging out in South Carolina. The dream! 

Trista is gold. She is vulnerable in her relationships and brave in her endeavors. She is determined with a side of humility and grace. She has in fact become a mentor to both my girls (hip hop and Down syndrome for Macy; business boss lady for Tru) and a dear, dear friend of mine. She has invited us into her life, like family, and she and her family are exactly that to me. 

#TheLuckyFew #TheLuckyFewFoundation #DownSyndrome #ThisIsDownSyndrome