Gold Bar boy’s photo chosen for Down syndrome society video

Three-year-old Braeden Hurley lives in Gold Bar, but Saturday his smiling face will shine down from a big screen in New York’s Times Square. A picture of Braeden and his dad is part of a video to be shown during the kickoff of the 2016 New York Buddy Walk, which promotes inclusion and awareness of people with Down syndrome.

A week later, Braeden and his parents, Caitlin and Caleb Hurley, will step out at the annual Snohomish County Buddy Walk, scheduled for 2-5 p.m. Sept. 24 at Harvey Field in Snohomish.

“He loves it,” said Caitlin Hurley, 30. At last year’s local Buddy Walk, Braeden held both his parents’ hands as he strolled along. “This year he will probably walk on his own,” she said.

The Buddy Walks, which also raise money to provide services for people with Down syndrome, are true to their name. Through them, Hurley has become friends with other moms raising children with Down syndrome.

She submitted the photo of Braeden and his father to the National Down Syndrome Society, which founded the Buddy Walk events. She was surprised it was selected for the group’s annual Times Square video, which features photos of more than 100 people with Down syndrome.

“They have a contest every year. They choose from thousands,” Hurley said. “We’re really honored to be chosen.”

A large version of the photo hangs in the family’s Gold Bar home. The picture was taken during a hiking and sledding outing with a cousin early last spring. “There was a little bit of snow left. It’s a perfect picture, it captures them perfectly,” Hurley said of the close-up image.

The Gold Bar couple’s journey has been different from that of most parents raising children with Down syndrome. They adopted Braeden at birth, through the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network.

Based in Ohio, the nonprofit helps birth families seeking alternatives to parenting, and provides support to people wanting to adopt a baby with Down syndrome. The condition occurs when a person has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. It causes developmental delays and intellectual disabilities. Common physical traits include low muscle tone, small stature and an upward slant to the eyes.

“Our mission is to ensure that every child born with Down syndrome has the opportunity to grow up in a loving family,” the National Down Syndrome Adoption Network says on its website. Hurley and her husband share that mission.

“We prayed about it before he was born,” said Caitlin Hurley, describing how she and Caleb traveled to San Diego to meet Braeden and his birth mother the day after his birth. “We got to take him home the next day,” she said.

Hurley said their son’s birth mother was almost 40 and had suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Their adoption process involved a home study and multiple visits by a social worker before and after Braeden’s arrival. Caleb Hurley, 31, commutes to Seattle, where he works in the engineering department of a property management company. Caitlin is the nursery director for Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland.

This week, Braeden started his second year at Changes Preschool, a developmental preschool at Sultan Elementary School. He goes to preschool four mornings a week. “He is so excited when the school bus comes,” Caitlin Hurley said.

Hurley said she has always “had a heart” for children with special needs. When she was 4, she had a brother who was stillborn. “They think he had Down syndrome,” she said. “It was always in the back of my mind.”

Before Braeden was born, the Hurleys were matched with another family whose daughter was born with special needs. That baby died at 3 weeks old, Hurley said. Braeden was born full-term and very healthy.

After preschool Tuesday, Braeden wiggled and danced around his living room as his mom put on some music. She sang along to “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”

“He loves music,” she said. Braeden had trouble with ear infections early on, but has had his tonsils removed and tubes put in his ears. “He is more verbal. He babbles and is responding a lot more,” she said. “He’s such a ham, he likes to be the center of attention.” Braeden also uses basic sign language.

Painted above the doorway to the family’s deck are words to live by: “Count Your Blessings.”

The family might soon have more blessings to count. They plan to adopt another child with Down syndrome, a little sister or brother for Braeden.

Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460; jmuhlstein@heraldnet.com.

Buddy Walk

The 2016 Snohomish County Buddy Walk is scheduled for 2-5 p.m. Sept. 24 at Harvey Field, 9900 Airport Way, Snohomish. The free event, which promotes inclusion and acceptance of people with Down syndrome, is one of 250 Buddy Walk events nationwide. Register, order T-shirts or make a donation at http://dsasc.donordrive.com/event/bw2016.