THEM.
THEM. IT'S A MYTH THAT THEY ARE HAPPY ALL THE TIME, BUT THEY DO
RADIATE A LOT OF JOY!
THEN TO SEE TWO, TO SEE
TWINS... PEOPLE REALIZE
THAT'S EXCEPTIONAL,
THAT'S UNUSUAL, THAT'S
RARE.
MEET CHARLIE AND MILO
MCCONNEL!
THESE ADORABLE TWIN
BOYS LIVE IN NAMPA,
BOTH BORN WITH DOWN
SYNDROME.
AND AT THREE YEARS OLD,
THEY ARE ALREADY
SOCIAL MEDIA STARS.
THESE BOYS ARE
SOMETHING SPECIAL.
THEY ARE INSPIRING
PEOPLE ALL OVER THE
WORLD.
TONIGHT, THESE LITTLE
BOYS ARE OUR SEVEN'S
HEROES.
MAGGIE O'MARA REPORTS.
THIS IS CHARLIE AND
MILO... KNOWN ON
INSTAGRAM TO THEIR
CLOSE TO 20 THOUSAND
FOLLOWERS AS
"CHUCKLES AND
MEATLOAF".
THEY ARE JUST
NICKNAMES...
WE HAD MANY NICK
NAMES THE ONES THAT
STUCK... CHUCKLES AND
MEATLOAF.
THEY ARE ALSO
FOLLOWED BY
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
ON FACEBOOK!
ON FACEBOOK!
WE
WE HAVE
WE HAVE FOLLOWERS ALL OVER THE WORLD, I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW MANY
COUNTRIES, JUST ALL
OVER
OVER THE
OVER THE PLACE IT'S BEEN REALLY FUN. PROUD PARENTS JULIE
AND DAN MCCONNEL ARE
SHARING THEIR BEAUTIFUL
BOYS WITH THE WORLD
ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR A
REASON.
WELL MY HOPE IS TO
ATTRACT FAMILES THAT
ARE RECEIVING A
DIAGNOSIS OF DOWN
SYNDROME FOR THEIR
CHILD BECAUSE THAT CAN
BE
BE REALLY
BE REALLY SCARY. SO I HOPE THAT PEOPLE WILL FIND IT AND SEE
THAT THIS IS WHAT LIFE
CAN BE LIKE THAT IT CAN
BE FUN, IT'S FULL OF LOVE
IT'S NOT SCARY... WE HAVE
NO REGRETS AND THERE
IS SO MUCH JOY IN OUR
LIVES AND I HOPE THAT
PEOPLE WILL SEE THAT.
CHARLIE AND MILO ARE
FRATERNAL TWINS, AND
THAT MAKES THEM EVEN
MORE SPECIAL!
MORE SPECIAL!
WHAT
WHAT I'VE
WHAT I'VE FOUND IT'S ABOUT ONE IN A MILLION TO HAVE IDENTICAL
TWINS WITH DOWN
SYNDROME AND IT'S
ABOUT ONE IN 14
MILLION TO HAVE
FRATERNAL TWINS WITH
DOWN SYNDROME!
IT'S REALLY REMARKABLE
AND JUST A DOUBLE
LOTTERY WIN IN OUR
MINDS.
THIS NAMPA COUPLE SAYS
THEY WERE STUNNED AND
EXCITED TO FIND OUT
THEY WERE HAVING
TWINS. BUT, THE
DIAGNOSIS OF DOWN
SYNDROME FOR BOTH OF
THEIR BOYS WAS
SOMETHING THEY
WEREN'T PREPARED FOR.
WE KIND OF KNEW WHAT
TO LOOK FOR ON THE
ULTRASOUNDS.
THERE WERE SOME
MARKERS THAT THEY
WERE BEGINNING TO SEE.
IT WAS SHOCKING AND IT
WAS TERRIFYING, AND IT
TOOK
TOOK A
TOOK A WHILE FOR US TO COME TO GRIPS WITH THAT DIAGNOSIS. AND I
REACHED OUT, WHAT I DID
IS REACH OUT ON SOCIAL
MEDIA.
JULIE FOUND AMAZING
SUPPORT FROM OTHER
MOMS. SHE SAYS RAISING
HER BOYS HAS BEEN
FILLED WITH SO MUCH
LOVE.
I HAD THE CHANCE TO
HOLD THEM AND CUDDLE
THEM, AND LET ME TELL
YOU, THE JOY IS JUST
CONTAGIOUS.
IT TAKES THEM A LITTLE
LONGER TO MEET
MILESTONES...IT TOOK
THEM LONGER TO LEARN
TO WALK, LONGER TO
LEARN TO TALK.
WHEN THEY MEET THESE
GOALS WE CELEBRATE LIKE
NO OTHER PARENTS ALIVE!
WE THROW A PARTY AND
WE'RE SO EXCITED FOR
THEM WHEN THEY
ACCOMPLISH THOSE
THINGS.
NOW - JULIE IS THE MOM
PEOPLE ARE REACHING
OUT TO ON SOCIAL
MEDIA.
ABSOLUTELY, YEAH, I'M
ALWAYS HAPPY WHEN I
GET A MESSAGE THAT
SAYS HEY WE JUST GOT A
DIAGNOSIS OF DOWN
SYNDROME AND YOUR
PAGE HAS BEEN REALLY
ENCOURAGING.
I'M SO HAPPY TO HAVE A
CONVERSATION OR MEET
FOR COFFEE OR
WHATEVER...
THIS PAST THURSDAY,
FAMILIES IN THE TREASURE
VALLEY CELEBRATED
WORLD DOWN
SYNDROME AWARENESS
DAY ON THE BLUE TURF AT
BOISE STATE.
IT'S OCCURS ON MARCH
21 BECAUSE DOWN
SYNDROME OCCURS
WHEN YOU HAVE A THIRD
COPY OF THE 21
CHROMOSOME SO IT
ALWAYS HAPPEN ON 3-21.
DAN IT'S THIS BIG DAY TO
SHOW EVERYONE ELSE
THAT WE ARE HERE AND
THERE ARE ALL THESE KIDS
IN OUR COMMUNTY AND
WE HOPE THAT THEY WILL
SEE US AND REMEMBER
US... AND THAT THINGS
WILL CONTINUE TO
CHANGE IN OUR
COMMUNITIES WITH LOTS
OF ACCEPTANCE.
OF ACCEPTANCE.
WE'RE
WE'RE STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF OTHER PARENTS THAT HAVE
PAVED THE WAY FOR ALL
THESE THINGS TO HAPPEN
AND IT'S AN EXCITING
TIME TO HAVE A CHILD
WITH DOWN SYNDROME.
THESE PROUD PARENTS
KNOW THE FUTURE IS
BRIGHT FOR THEIR BOYS.
I WANT TO SEE THEM
GROW UP AND DO
WHATEVER THEY WANT TO
DO, IF THEY WANT TO GO
TO COLLEGE, THOSE
DOORS ARE OPENING FOR
THEM TO GO TO COLLEGE.
TO HAVE A JOB THAT'S
MEANINGFUL TO THEM
AND MEANINGFUL
RELATIONSHIPS AND TO
GIVE BACK TO THEIR
COMMUNITIES, I WANT
ALL THOSE THINGS FOR
THEIR FUTURE.
IN THE MEANTIME,
CHUCKLES AND MEATLOAF
WILL CONTINUE TO
INSPIRE PEOPLE AROUND
THE WORLD... WITH THEIR
PHOTOS, VIDEOS, AND
STORIES.
I JUST HAVE REALLY
POSITIVE, EXCITEMENT
ABOUT WHAT THEIR
FUTURE IS GOING TO
HOLD. AND I'M SO
GRATEFUL FOR THAT!
CHARLIE AND MILO -
SEVEN'S
SEVEN'S HEROES.
TO
TO FOLLOW
TO FOLLOW CHARLIE AND MILO ON SOCIAL MEDIA, GO TO THIS STORY ON
KTVB.COM AND WE'LL
POST THEIR FACEBOOK
AND INSTAGRAM PAGES
FOR YOU!
FOR YOU!