Micah
Quinones only a year old, but he already has a head start into a
possible career. Diagnosed with Down syndrome when he was three months
old, the toddler was recently signed by the same modeling agent who
represents his fashion-model mother Amanda Booth.
Before Micah was diagnosed, Booth and her husband Mike Quinones had started an Instagram account for him called "
Life with Micah"
as a way to share photos with friends and family. Soon, more and more
followers came, finding it through Booth's own already-popular
Instagram account. The transition to modeling was natural; Booth
says
that Micah looks right into the camera as soon as it comes out, and
that everyone tells him he's just like his mother. The Instagram
account didn't start out as an advocacy project, Booth
notes, but it continued to grow in popularity after Micah's diagnosis, and he now has more than 39,000 followers.
Micah's parents
were first told
that he might have Down syndrome by a nurse soon after his birth, who
suspected the condition after noting Micah's almond-shaped eyes and
folded ears. Since these features could have been genetic or a result
of complications during the pregnancy, however, Booth and her husband
didn't see the need to take the four vials of blood from their newborn
that would be needed for the test. There had been no indications before
Micah's birth, either; he displayed none of the heart defects many
babies with Down syndrome have, and Booth and Quinones had opted not to
do a prenatal screening, agreeing that the results wouldn't change
anything.
At their pediatrician's recommendation three months later, however, they did have the test completed. Booth
says
that while she shed some tears and was scared at the diagnosis, not
personally knowing anyone with Down syndrome, she soon realized that no
number was going to change what she thought about her son.
Booth has also
said
that one of her goals in sharing photos of her family is to bring hope
to other families who are also affected by Down syndrome. Connecting
with such families through Instagram has been very helpful for her,
she says,
and has enabled her to follow along with their journeys and milestones
as she experiences her own. Already called a spokesperson for Down
syndrome-related causes
by Mother Magazine, Booth still
says she hopes that her involvement in the community will continue to grow.
You can follow Micah on Instagram
here, and learn more about his and his family's story in
Mother Magazine,
Today.com,
ABC news,
Pregnancy & Newborn, and
Buzzfeed.
