10-year-old Gia Vallone from Youngsville is one of the thousands of applicants from across the country, representing The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), in New York City.
Gia's mother, Joely Vallone said she was taken by surprise when she discovered her oldest daughter, Jaden Louviere entered Gia's picture in a contest that would help change her life forever.
Louviere said it all started with a Facebook post that inspired her to take a leap of faith.
"It came up on my page and it was like, 'New York and one of our good friends Niles he has done it and I was like, okay...What are the chances? Let me submit it and so I did it and I kind of forgot about it until I got the email and I was super excited," Louvier said.
Last week, Louviere said she saw an email, confirming the picture she sent of Gia and the essay she wrote led to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for her sister.
Gia is helping to spread awareness and shed light on Down Syndrome here in Acadiana and all the way in Times Square, New York, just in time for the Buddy Walk [an annual advocacy event for Down Syndrome in the United States] on Saturday.
Vallone said this experience is a dream come true.
"She's my rock star and I can't express how amazing these kids are," Vallone said. "They understand everything, they know everything. I feel like with her, verbally its a little bit difficult, but she retains everything."
For anyone interested in participating in the 19th, Acadiana Buddy Walk in Lafayette, the event will take place on Oct. 28 at Parc International.
