New Jersey Special Olympics

This past weekend Wilhemina decided to take a trip to the 2009 New Jersey Summer Special Olympics down at the College of New Jersey.  What a sight it was! People from all over the state came together to contribute, or participate in a great cause.  Throughout the weekend of June 12-14, over 2,000 athletes came together to compete in areas such as aquatics, Bocce, gymnastics, powerliftling, softball, and track & field.

Many of the athlete competing suffer from a disease called down syndrome. Down Syndrome (or Down's Syndrome) is also known as trisomy 21.  This is a chromosomal disorder cause by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome.  It is named after John Langdon Down, a British doctor who first described the syndrome in 1866. The disorder was identified as trisomy 21 by Jérôme Lejeune in 1959.  

Individuals with Down Syndrome tend to suffer from mild to moderate developmental disabilities.  A small number have severe to profound mental disabilities as well. The number of births estimated with babies born with the disease is at 1 per 800 births.

Wilhemina herself had a great time at the games.  Not only did she learn a lot about genetics, and more specifically Down Syndrome, but she made a bunch of new friends.  She hopes that next year everyone will take a part in this great organization, and get to see some real-world genetics at its finest.