NASCAR joins Down syndrome research efforts

by Maureen Wallace from SpecialEDPost.org:
Long ago, I shifted from fear to acceptance when it comes to my 4-year-old son Charlie’s extra chromosome. I love every bit of him, including his DNA.
But what’s not acceptable is that Charlie has a greater chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease because he has Down syndrome.
NASCAR driver David Ragan loves to drive fast and wants to win whatever race he can. It made perfect sense when the LuMind Foundation asked Ragan to chair its first annual fundraiser, the Race for Research: Accelerating Down Syndrome Cognition, which took place this summer.
The link?
David’s older brother, Adam, has Down syndrome.
That means we share a sense of urgency to fund research to help our loved ones. We also share a building outrage that research progress is stalled because of a lack of funding.
You see, if research doesn’t progress quickly enough, it’s possible Charlie and I will develop Alzheimer’s disease at the same time, because people with Down syndrome can develop the condition as young as 40 years old. (I’ll be 77.) Adam could begin to show symptoms in as few as 10 more years.
The entire Ragan family — with a history of racing success — became involved in the 2014 Race for Research, and their determination gave me hope. Because my Charlie has two younger siblings, David’s perspective of his brother also has been reassuring.
“Adam is just a normal older brother,” David says. “My parents didn’t really teach or tell me anything about Adam’s capabilities. They just always treated him the same as me.”

NASCAR Driver David Ragan and D.A.D.S.

from theweekly.com:

The newly redesigned 2012 Ford Focus is “driving with purpose” to Atlanta to team up with NASCAR Driver David Ragan and Chef Richard Blais to not only show off its new features, but help raise money for the Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome, a Committee of the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta. The 2012 Focus delivers up to 40 MPG and comes available with the newest vehicle technology in SYNC with MyFord Touch.

Ford is proud to stand with Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome, a Committee of the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta. D.A.D.S. is a not-for-profit community group composed of fathers whose children have Down Syndrome that works to support each other and their communities through raising awareness and money for charity.