Chris Bombolas’ nephew, Alex, is like many other boys in his early 20s. He has a part-time job, he lives with his parents, and he loves sports.
But there’s one thing that makes Alex different – he has Down syndrome.
Today marks the start of Down Syndrome Awareness Week, a national campaign to raise awareness of Down syndrome, an error in the body’s cell development which results in 47 chromosomes rather than the usual 46.
Bombolas, a former state Labor politician and TV presenter, is the patron of the Down Syndrome Association of Queensland.
He said he was honoured to take up the position eight months ago, just as he was proud when Alex competed on the Queensland swimming team in the Special Olympics.
“I’m a proud uncle who has supported him over the years,” Bombolas told Neos Kosmos.
But it hasn’t always been easy, he adds.
“When he was first diagnosed, it was quite a shock to the family,” he said.
“People weren’t as familiar with the condition and the symptoms and what it meant.”
This is why Down Syndrome Awareness Week, which features fundraising ‘Buddy Walks’ in major cities around the country, is so important to Bombolas.
“The purpose of Down Syndrome Awareness Week is to challenge outdated stereotypes and to celebrate attributes, talents and achievements of people with Down Syndrome,” he said.
While there’s no one characteristic uniting Alex with all other people with Down syndrome, the extra chromosome in every cell in the body affects development.
Bombolas said Down Syndrome Awareness Week is about celebrating diversity, something the Greek community knows plenty about.
“A lot of people are scared, it’s the old ‘not knowing what it’s all about’ thing,” he said.
“We want to show people that these guys are a part of society and can make contributions.”