My great story has to do with my two great kids, Charlotte and Jonathan, who are doing more to spread awareness for Down syndrome than anyone in our family could have possibly imagined. It started a few years ago, when Charlotte and Jonathan got off the school bus one day clearly upset. Charlotte told me that Jonathan, who has Down syndrome, was being bullied on the bus. She also told me she was concerned about the way some children - and even some adults - would stare at Jonathan and talk behind his back, commenting on the way he looks and sounds. After talking to the school bus driver and nipping the bullying situation in the bud, Charlotte told me she wanted to do more to educate others about Down syndrome and to let everyone know what a great person Jonathan is. I asked Charlotte how she thought we could best accomplish that. After some brainstorming, we decided we would produce a movie. The result was Deedah, a 25 minute documentary named after Jonathan's longtime nickname for Charlotte. (We think Deedah was his first attempt at saying "sister.") In the movie, seven-year-old Charlotte explains that Jonathan, like everyone else with Down syndrome, is not at all different from those of us who do not have that extra chromosome. Since the film was released, Deedah has been shown at film festivals in our home state of Georgia, as well as Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando and Vancouver, British Columbia. Our blog has received hits from all around the world and last month, we learned that a group in Europe is translating the film in Polish! On April 30th, Deedah will be shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, as part of the Sprout Film Festival, which highlights the incredible ABILITIES of those with "DIS- ABILITIES." Deedah is also being shown at schools around the country to help to teach tolerance and bullying prevention. Down syndrome support groups have sponsored screenings and are using the film to raise extra funds at Buddy Walks. The film is making its way into new parent packets and is being introduced to the medical community as well. My husband and I are so grateful that the film has touched those in the Down syndrome community, but we are also humbled at how the film is educating those who previously had little or no familiarity with Down syndrome. Our great story is the story of many others as well: Down syndrome is not a burden, it is a blessing. We hope our film will help to spread that message for many years to come. Brooke May, Proud mom of Charlotte and Jonathan, Producer of Deedah, www.deedahandme.com