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Boy With Down Syndrome Gets Best Surprise, Falls On His Knees At The Airport
Nick and Gabi both have Down Syndrome. They met in Detroit in April 2019 while attending the National Down Syndrome Society national conference. The conference ends with a dance held by the organizers where the two were inseparable.
Through the "chaos" of all the parents and caregivers making sure everyone was accounted for and safely on their way back to where they belonged, Nick never got Gabi's contact information. She lives in Raleigh, NC and he lives in Canton, OH. So like a good little millennial, he went to social media and found her.
They started their long distance romance via text and phone and FaceTime. They looked forward to the next conference in June, National Down Syndrome Congress, which would take place in Pittsburgh and both would be attending. They spent every second together those three days but again, so sad at the end, as there were no more conferences to bring them together. A couple of weeks after they got back home, Gabi broke down crying to her mom, telling her how much she missed Nick.
Mary, Gabi's mom, reached out to Nick's mom Lisa and they knew they had to do something to get them together. Mary booked a flight for her and Gabi to come to visit Nick in Canton. They decided they would try to surprise them. Mary told Gabi they were going to a conference while Lisa told Nick a friend needed a ride home from the airport.
It's truly remarkable that their relationship even blossomed as neither Nick nor Gabi have ever been in a relationship before. Nor did they have interest in having a relationship with someone with Down Syndrome. But it truly was love at first sight!
Source: Lisa Doyle, Nick's mother
Through the "chaos" of all the parents and caregivers making sure everyone was accounted for and safely on their way back to where they belonged, Nick never got Gabi's contact information. She lives in Raleigh, NC and he lives in Canton, OH. So like a good little millennial, he went to social media and found her.
They started their long distance romance via text and phone and FaceTime. They looked forward to the next conference in June, National Down Syndrome Congress, which would take place in Pittsburgh and both would be attending. They spent every second together those three days but again, so sad at the end, as there were no more conferences to bring them together. A couple of weeks after they got back home, Gabi broke down crying to her mom, telling her how much she missed Nick.
Mary, Gabi's mom, reached out to Nick's mom Lisa and they knew they had to do something to get them together. Mary booked a flight for her and Gabi to come to visit Nick in Canton. They decided they would try to surprise them. Mary told Gabi they were going to a conference while Lisa told Nick a friend needed a ride home from the airport.
It's truly remarkable that their relationship even blossomed as neither Nick nor Gabi have ever been in a relationship before. Nor did they have interest in having a relationship with someone with Down Syndrome. But it truly was love at first sight!
Source: Lisa Doyle, Nick's mother
