[September 01, 2011] City boy's face will beam in Times Square Tweet Sep 01, 2011 (The Haverhill Gazette - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Some people go their entire lives without winning a contest, but 3-year-old Aaron Wickwire-Duclose of Haverhill can already cross that one off his list. Aaron is one of only three Massachusetts children chosen to have his picture appear in Times Square in New York City as part of the National Buddy Walk Program next month. Aaron's mother, Michelle Wickwire, submitted the picture to the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) through monthly newsletters and was notified recently that Aaron's picture will appear on the big plasma screen outside the MTV Studios in Times Square in September. The picture will be one of 200 children's images chosen from photos submitted to help kick off the New York Buddy Walk, which supports children like Aaron who have Down syndrome. Unfortunately, Aaron will not be able to make it down to New York that weekend because he will be attending a wedding, but several family friends will be at Times Square to video the event. While Aaron won't be able to participate in the Times Square event, he will attend the Massachusetts Buddy Walk in Wakefield at Lake Quannapowitt in October. This will be the third year that he has attended the walk. His parents created Aaron's Army as part of the walk, to encourage family and friends to donate money on behalf of Aaron to the cause, which raises funds for the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress. Winning the Times Square contest is just one of Aaron's accomplishments, despite the fact that he has having Down syndrome. With help from his mother, Michelle, who is a special needs teacher in Haverhill, and an instructional DVD, Aaron has learned more than 200 words in sign language to help him communicate better. He can speak, but sometimes his words are unclear, so the sign language helps. When Aaron was born, it was a very real possibility that he may not have been able to experience any of those accomplishments. Hours after his birth, his parents found out he had esophageal atresia. His esophagus and fistula -- which connects the esophagus to the trachea -- were blocked. "For a day he couldn't eat or swallow anything," said Aaron's father, Thomas Duclose. "Without emergency surgery, we would have had a major problem." But ever since that scare, Aaron has lived his life like any other 3-year-old would. He started taking horseback riding lessons in January, and has even dabbled with playing with the piano. Aaron has his own mini replica piano which is set up right next to the real piano at his house. He also enjoys playing the popular game system Wii, which has increased his strength. Since finding out that Aaron would be born with Down syndrome, his parents were ahead of the curve in getting involved with the NDSS. The organization has had a strong impact on Aaron's family. "We decided to be proactive when we found out about Aaron," Duclose said. "We've been met with nothing but love, care and compassion in stepping forward (with the NDSS)." Aaron is part of a play group in Andover, which is the first organization in Massachusetts founded by women who have special needs children. "They felt it was important to bring moms and families the opportunity for them to congregate" with people in a similar situation that they are, Duclose said. Not only does the group allow Aaron to make friends -- it helps his parents communicate with other parents of special needs children. "The play group is good support if we need things," Aaron's mother said. "There is a group on Facebook that we can go to and post questions like 'Did anybody have any feeding issues with their child?' Immediately, we get 15 responses with advice and support." This fall, Aaron will attend pre-school for the first time, at Moody School, before enrolling in an education program designed for him in the Haverhill public schools system. "In the first 60 months, it's critical that he get as much support and his education is facilitated in the best way he can," his father said. "We are getting Aaron full maximum exposure to all of the resources which we have in the state of Massachusetts. ---- How to donate Online: buddywalk.org By phone: 800-221-4602 ___ (c)2011 The Haverhill Gazette (Haverhill, Mass.) Visit The Haverhill Gazette (Haverhill, Mass.) at www.hgazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]