Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show 2010 Ambassador: Katherine Vollbracht Winfield

Katherine Vollbracht WinfieldMy name is Katherine Vollbracht Winfield. I like sparkly lights and giggles. That is because I am only 15 months old!

I live in Seattle with my mom, dad and big brother Kirby III. I surprised everyone by arriving 3 weeks early. And I had another big surprise – I was born with Down syndrome.

When I was born I couldn’t eat and I was really hungry. To help my tummy I had an operation at 3 days old. I was really brave in the intensive care unit! My parents were brave too and made sure I had lots of love every day. Thanks to my family and amazing doctors and nurses, I came home on my original due date with a clean bill of health.

Since then I have been thriving and loving life! My big brother Kirby thinks I am way cool. Kirby and his friends love playing with me and telling me what to do (since they’re such mature 3 year olds!). I have lots of buddies at preschool and we all learn and play together. Even though I live in Seattle, I often visit my Granny and Grandpa Bill in Denver where I get to see wonderful grown-ups at the Sie Center for Down Syndrome at The Children’s Hospital who help me stay healthy, and who have really high expectations of me .

I am an active kid! I love to play in the grass, go to the park, take baths, play ball, play on my musical toys, clap my hands and play patty-cake. My favorite food is definitely pizza (oh and tacos and steak!). My favorite thing to do is steal toys from my brother and knock over all of the buildings he spends hours creating. I also do a mean bear-crawl, and I am working very hard on learning to walk so I can start to run wild throughout the house and happily terrorize my family!

My mom and dad wouldn’t change a thing about me; they love me so much. My family and our friends embrace me and take me into their lives just like they did with my big brother. I love my life, and I so want to participate fully without anyone putting me down or holding me back because I have an extra chromosome. Will you please help ensure that I have that chance? The Global Down Syndrome Foundation is all about supporting kids and adults like me and making sure we get to enjoy life like everyone else. Please support their efforts!