Pam De Almeida is used to strangers whispering and staring at her 18-month-old daughter Sophia.
The little girl has Down Syndrome and her mum says people often stare, oblivious to the fact that she often stares right back.
But recently a couple approached her. The man greeted Sophia with a high five and a handshake.
As Pam writes on her Facebook page, Slice of Life: ‘He looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, “I have a story I would really like to share with you. But I am afraid I won’t get through it without choking up.”
‘I gently encouraged him to share, because now I was curious. This interaction was not what I was expecting,’ wrote Pam.
‘He told me that he had watched the news last night. There was an interview of a mother who had recently given birth to a child with a major disability. She was on the news defending her decision to keep her baby.
‘She was defending her choice NOT to terminate despite her doctors encouraging her to do so.’
Pam says the man then told her: ‘The point is, you never know a person’s impact on the world. You can never know what a person is able to do unless you give them a chance.’
She continued: ‘He looked at me just before he turned to walk away and said, “You are a beautiful person. Your daughter is beautiful. Congratulations”.’
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