Irina Khakamada – Maria, 27 years old
The daughter of politician Irina Khakamada and businessman Vladimir Sirotinsky was born with Down syndrome in 1997. At the age of seven, the girl was diagnosed with leukemia – fortunately, doctors managed to stop the disease at an early stage.
Sirotinskaya, “Live Healthy!” “My mother learned about my disease during pregnancy, but she still succeeded and gave birth to me,” she said on the broadcast of her program. In 2018.
The politician hid his special child for several years. He later explained that he wanted to protect Maria from unnecessary public attention. According to Khakamada, she learns a lot from her daughter and is proud of her. The 68-year-old politician emphasized in his personal blog that responsibility towards the heir helps him keep himself in good shape:
“I have a daughter with Down syndrome, she is always with me. I must be healthy. It keeps me balanced. I always remember that Masha has no one else. “That’s why it’s so important today to find your roots, unite with your family, and take care of each other,” he said.
Khakamada’s daughter leads an active life: she works as a model, plays in the theater, dances, swims and studies foreign languages. She has a boyfriend named Artem Silin, who is 28 years old and also has Down syndrome.
“This is my favorite man who loves me and we have a serious relationship,” Maria said under the photo with her boyfriend.
John McGinley – Max, 27 years old
Dr. in the TV series Scrubs. American actor John McGinley, known for his role as Perry Cox, became a father in 1997. His wife, Lauren Lambert, gave birth to a son named Max, who has Down syndrome. The couple divorced in December 2001, and a year later McGinley was named “Father of the Month” on the now-defunct website iParenting.com.
The actor serves on the board of the Denver-based Global Down Syndrome Foundation, is an ambassador for the National Down Syndrome Association, and an ambassador for the Special Olympics. In a comment to Page Six in 2022, McGinley said that one of the foundation’s activities is to help people with Alzheimer’s syndrome:
“I know what Max’s way is. “If he’s lucky enough to live long enough (we do every intervention that gives him the chance to live as long as possible) he’ll get Alzheimer’s.”
According to the National Down Syndrome Association, by age 50, 30% of these people develop Alzheimer’s syndrome, and by age 60, the percentage of cases increases to 50%.
In April 2007, McGinley became engaged to yoga instructor Nicole Kessler in Malibu, and they have two daughters. The actor said that in 2022, Max is in “perfect shape”: He works at Starbucks, plays in a band, plays concerts, and loves spending time with his sisters.
Evelina Bledans – Semyon, 11 years old
Actress Evelina Bledans and her husband Alexander Semin knew they would have a child with special needs. Even during pregnancy, they began to prepare for the birth of Semyon and collected information on raising children with Down syndrome. The child was born on April 1, 2012, and at the age of six months he received his first contract to star in a diaper commercial. The actor devotes most of his time to the child; It is more difficult for special children to learn housework. In an interview in 2023 Aif.ru Bledans said that he taught Semyon to open and close the door.
“You need to take into account not just one or two, but many small details: press the door handle with your hand, then push the door with your butt. We must coordinate our movements. The complex was given to us by the professor who taught Semyon. He showed exercises based on everyday things,” shared the actor.
According to Bledans, he understands that Down syndrome is a “mental retardation” and that Semyon will never be able to count well or read fluently. However, the actor noted that such children are able to develop logic, understand the world around them and act in it.
The celebrity is an honorary ambassador for the Downside Up Foundation, which supports families with special children. She regularly attends themed events and goes out accompanied by her son.
In 2023, Bledans and his son starred in the children’s short film “Crusks and Buns”. The actor played the director of a charity organization, and Semyon played the hero.
Svetlana Feodulova – Sofia, 9 years old
Opera singer and trustee of the Special Happiness Foundation Svetlana Feodulova is a laureate of the Guinness Book of Records as the owner of the highest female voice in the world. She herself is a mother of eight children; His nine-year-old daughter Sophia has Down syndrome. The artist told socialbites.ca that he received a lot of love from the girl and learned from her:
“I interact with many people with Down syndrome; they are great people. They are absolutely not aggressive, they never cause harm – on the contrary, they bring joy to this world and are very necessary for us “typical” people. They not only give us love, they also teach us about love.
Sometimes I look at how much good there is in Sonechka, how sincerely she experiences everything, how she knows how to forgive and change. Love and kindness come first in him – no matter what, no matter who offends him. I’m standing in the middle of a traffic jam, sad. I got angry somewhere. And they live joyfully – and sometimes I think: “Maybe this is really the right way to live? There is a lot of aggression and war in the world, but “sunny” people cannot do this. What really is the norm in this world?”
He emphasized that kindness and simplicity are not just character traits, but a chromosomal difference from ordinary people. People with Down syndrome appear to have a blockage in a part of their brain that is responsible for anger, aggression, jealousy, and other negative emotions. That’s why they are called “sun”.
“They are vulnerable in this regard; They are very trusting and can love people who could harm them. Therefore, it is very important to protect them from troubles. They feel resentful and may cry. When someone looks at them “wrongly”, they sense not only the conversation, but also other people’s thoughts. You should treat them like normal people. These are ordinary people with an incredible gift; “They will never show anger, take revenge, or do anything sneaky,” the singer shared.
According to Feodulova, World Down Syndrome Day helps to once again draw attention to them, make the public more informed about this feature and not be afraid to raise such children.
“You will take an ordinary child to piano, painting and fencing lessons, and a child with a syndrome to hippotherapy. (rehabilitation method through adaptive driving), to the pool, for massage. This is the same employment of parents, but the development will be in a slightly different direction.
There are many children in our family, and I am equally happy that one of the children won the Olympics and Sonechka played in the theater,” said Feodulova.
The All-Russian Prize “Special Happiness” will be awarded in the summer. “For faith in the child”, “Parental initiative”, “To reveal the child’s talents and abilities”, “No other children have children” and others include parents of disabled children who can compete for victory in their candidacies.
Caterina Scorsone – Paloma, 7 years old
In 2016, the star of the TV series “Grey’s Anatomy” Caterina Scorsone gave birth to a “sunny” girl named Paloma (her relatives call her Pippa). The actor makes every effort to give people more information about Down syndrome. She shares the details of raising her daughter in an interview and publishes many joint photos on social networks she.
“We have not yet learned to love ourselves enough to understand that all our needs are individual. Pippa is here. Pippa loves herself. He’s busy living it loud and bright. If I had not been lucky enough to learn in detail about Down syndrome when I was Pippa’s mother, my life would be a pale version of what it is now,” Scorsone wrote on her Instagram page (the owner of the Meta company is known to be extremist and banned in Russia).
Iya Savvina – Sergei Shestakov (1957-2021)
Despite Down syndrome, the son of actress Iya Savvina and scientist Vsevolod Shestakov managed to get a higher education and live to 65 years old – although doctors predicted a maximum life of 43 years for him. The actor rejected the doctors’ offer to place his child in a private boarding school and never hid his son. He played the piano, recited long works, spoke English and painted.
Actor Boris Lvovich said on social networks that Shestakov’s films have won competitions for children with Down syndrome more than once:
“She was especially good with flowers; they were bright, bold, no matter what I couldn’t draw them that way! He wrote, read and knew many poems freely. One day Oleg Efremov came to Savvina’s birthday. He looked at Seryozha and suddenly said: “Iya, let’s introduce Seryozha to the Holy Fool in Boris Godunov.” Iya asked in surprise: “So what will happen?” Efremov grinned: “They will turn the show into hell.” “They won’t be able to stand this level of truth!” But you, Seryozha, still read and memorize Pushkin – it will work!” And suddenly Seryozha starts reading.
After her divorce from Vsevolod Shestakov, Savvina married Anatoly Vasilyev and lived with him for more than 30 years. The stepfather helped his stepson all his life and took care of him after the death of his wife. Later, Sergei lived with a guardian. He attended church until the end of his life and painted mainly nature (flowers, country scenes, still lifes). Shestakov’s personal exhibitions were held at the Central House of Artists in Moscow.
Amanda Booth – Mika, 10 years old
Model and Westworld actress Amanda Booth became a mother at 26; He had a son named Micah, who had Down syndrome and nonverbal autism. She noticed the interest in ordinary children in casting and suggested that agencies consider the possibility of doing an advertising campaign with a special child. Since then, Booth and Mika (sometimes alongside the actress’ husband Mike Quinones) have appeared in ad campaigns for brands like Amazon Fashion, Tommy Hilfiger, River Island, and more.