18-month-old Wil Lawrence is helping to raise awareness of Down syndrome. Photo / Alan Lawrence
One proud dad has set out to show his son that he can do anything - even fly.
Alan Lawrence, a photographer and father-of-five from Utah says that when his son Wil was born with Down Syndrome it came as a shock.
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"It felt as though he would put limits on what I would accomplish, what my family would accomplish," he told ABC. However, he says his son "has opened so many doors" for the family in his first 18 months.
In a unique photographic series, Lawrence has created images of Wil 'flying' - past mountain ranges, through forests and to the refrigerator for a late-night snack. The photos were inspired by an interesting habit he had observed in his son.
"When Wil was little, he would lie on his stomach and raise his arms and legs like he was flying. It wasn't something any of my other kids did," he told ABC. "We all said, 'Look, he's flying!"
Lawrence hopes the series will help raise awareness and "show people with Down Syndrome can do anything they put their minds to".
His images of Wil have been so popular he has started a Kickstarter in the hopes of creating a series of calendars featuring his flying boy, which will support two Down Syndrome foundations.
In the meantime, we can only guess where Wil will be flying to next.
- nzherald.co.nz
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