World Down Syndrome Day

Just wanted to note that today is World Down Syndrome Awareness Day. This date was chosen for its significance:

"On March 21st, 2009, World Down Syndrome Day will mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of Professor Jerome Lejeune's discovery of the extra copy of chromosome 21 which causes Down Syndrome.

Now known as trisomy-21 because of the third copy of the 21st chromosome, Down Syndrome was first described by the English doctor, John Langdon Down, in 1866 but until Professor Lejeune's publication in 1959, the ultimate cause of Down Syndrome was unknown."

The chromosome abnormality that underlies the diagnosis of Down Syndrome is known as trisomy 21 (hence 3/21).

The condition affects some 350,000 people here in the US, many of whom lead meaningful lives, participate in sports (e.g. Special Olympics, bowling) and hold steady jobs.