20/01/2022
🥰⭐️🥰 SO PROUD ⭐️🥰⭐️
Thomas is so happy to be an Ambassador again for Wouldnt change a thing. 🥳🥳🥳
When I fist started looking for online groups like it was definitely for me it was was my way of me reaching out asking for support and advice of other parents.
But then we found Wouldn't Change a Thing and the charity has had a massively positive impact on our lives.
Over the last few years he got so excited doing videos and really wanted to make them.
Last year he started to tell people about wouldn’t change a thing - apparently in school whenever he has iPad time he watches all the WCAT videos, school have even subscribed to the YouTube channel 😂
But the moment I realised just how proud Thomas was to be involved with WCAT was watching the National Diversity Awards last year and his reaction when he saw them nominated and then Winning was priceless
So we are all made up that he’s staying on as ambassador again. 💖
We are delighted that 2021 WCAT Ambassador Thomas is joining us again as an ambassador for 2022. Thanks to mum, Alison, for introducing him again this evening.
‘Thomas is 9 and from a British family who live in the Netherlands.
He lives with his mum Alison, dad John and 14 year old brother Daniel.
After a standard pregnancy, Thomas was born via emergency c-section. His first 6 months where medically difficult, including a 5 week NICU stay, where doctors diagnosed Down syndrome and AVSD (a heart condition).
He had heart surgery at 16 weeks and diaphragmatic hernia surgery at 20 weeks. He also had pulmonary hypertension and a feeding tube till he was 10 months old.
But this didn’t stop him! Thomas has always been determined and full of life.
He defied every obstacle and smashed every hurdle put in his way.
He has this way of grabbing people’s attention and hearts; his smile lights up the room, he’s loving, kind and fiercely empathetic, he can read people’s moods better than most adults.
He is fun and mischievous, he makes friends wherever he goes, he loves singing, dancing, playing football, playing with his brother and his brother’s friends, who all look past his Down syndrome only seeing a cool, funny little boy.
He also loves a challenge!
His biggest challenge has been learning a second language. Thomas has attended a Dutch SEN nursery since he was 3 years old, he transitioned to SEN school when he was 6.
When he first started at nursery there was concern over his language acquisition skills, but within weeks he was signing in Dutch.
Within a year he was speaking words in both English and Dutch. He’s now 9 and still has a small speech delay, but over the past 6 months we’ve seen huge jump in both languages.
We’ve been involved with Wouldn’t Change a Thing for a few years. Thomas is so proud to be involved with Wouldn’t Change a Thing, he recognises the logo, he gets excited whenever there is a new project, he can name children and parents he’s never met, but he “knows them” from the videos and stories.
He tells people he’s an ambassador. I think he just loves the feeling of be represented.
One of his 2021 highlights was watching The National Diversity Awards, he was so excited and cheering when they announced Wouldn’t Change a Thing winners.
We couldn’t be prouder of him, he’s everything we could have asked for and more.’
