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Local toddler to be featured in Times Square video!

by K. Enrique • September 18, 2014

This photograph, taken at the Poppy Reserve in early May, was chosen from more than 2,000 photographs for a video to be screened this Saturday, Sept. 20 in New York City's Times Square. The video will promote the achievements and acceptance of those with Down syndrome. (Contributed)
This photograph, taken at the Poppy Reserve in early May, was chosen from more than 2,000 photographs for a video that will be screened this Saturday, Sept. 20 in New York City’s Times Square. The video will promote the achievements and acceptance of those with Down syndrome. (Contributed)

LANCASTER – Two-year-old Jordyn has a smile that brings joy to nearly everyone she meets, according to her mom, Crysteena Paez.

“We take her everywhere and she waves and smiles at everyone she sees. Sometimes we get stopped by people who tell us that she just made their day by smiling and waving at them,” Crysteena Paez said.

Jordyn and her smile will bring joy to thousands of people in New York City this weekend. The Lancaster toddler’s photograph was chosen from more than 2,000 photo submissions for a video that will be screened in Times Square this Saturday,

Jordyn’s photograph is one of 220 photographs that will feature in the video, highlighting children, teens and adults with Down syndrome and promoting their achievements and acceptance. The video will play twice on one of the Jumbotron screens in Times Square, starting at 10 a.m., to kick off the National Down Syndrome Society’s Flagship Buddy Walk® in New York City. The Buddy Walk® is the premier advocacy event for Down syndrome in the United States and the world’s most widely recognized public awareness program for the Down syndrome community. [Learn more about the Buddy Walk here.]

“We are all so proud,” Crysteena Paez said. “Now Jordyn can share her smile across the country.”

In explaining how the photograph (shown above) and the contest entry came about, Crysteena Paez said: “This photo was taken back in early May of this year. We wanted to make a trip out to the poppy fields in west Lancaster to get pics of Jordyn with the beautiful poppies. It happened to be a windy morning, so we snapped a few pics and quickly got back in the car. The photos turned out so great that I shared this one in a Facebook message to Buddy Walk.  They wrote back suggesting that I enter the photo in the Times Square photo contest. This was the first time I’d ever heard of this contest. We were so excited to hear that her photo was chosen!”

Jordyn was born on Aug. 28, 2012 to Crysteena and Torrey Paez. She was delivered six weeks early at Antelope Valley Hospital.

“We chose to opt out of any genetic testing during my pregnancy, so her diagnosis was a surprise,” Crysteena Paez said. “We weren’t prepared for it but we quickly embraced it.”

After spending 11 days in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit, Jordyn emerged healthy, strong and happy, her mother said.

“Now, at 2 years old, she remains healthy and completely full of joy every day.  Every morning she wakes up smiling and happy,” Crysteena Paez said. “You just can’t have a bad day with that face smiling at you. Her family is a big part of her life, and she is surrounded by people who love and adore her every day.”

The Paez family won’t be able to make the New York City Buddy Walk this Saturday and will miss seeing Jordyn’s face on the big screen. However, the family will be attending the Anaheim Buddy Walk at Angels Stadium on Nov 2.

Jordyn and her family are in fundraising mode to gather as many donations as possible for the “Jordyn’s Halos” team.  To support this effort, click here.

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Filed Under: Lancaster

8 comments for "Local toddler to be featured in Times Square video!"

  1. CB says

    September 19, 2014 at 8:23 am

    Cutie-pie!

  2. ThatOneChick says

    September 19, 2014 at 6:04 am

    As someone who is native to the Antelope Valley and now lives in New York, CONGRATULATIONS! I look forward to seeing her picture on the big screen and bragging to whoever can hear that “Hey! She’s from my hometown!” :-D

    Beautiful

  3. :) says

    September 18, 2014 at 10:22 pm

    She is sooooo Cute! Congrads. And thank you for putting a smile on my face too.

  4. 10dog says

    September 18, 2014 at 5:55 pm

    SO cute, but with all these solar panels being put up we can say good by to wildflowers in the furture .

    • 10dog says

      September 18, 2014 at 5:58 pm

      Sorry Future not furture.

      • Just Saying says

        September 19, 2014 at 9:30 am

        Maybe you would find a Chevron refinery more attractive.

        • IRay says

          September 19, 2014 at 3:32 pm

          There are no refineries being built in the west valley and ripping up the land. It’s all that solar. I am a huge fan of solar but it needs to be built away from the poppy fields. Take a drive to Vegas some time. Plenty of wide open non poppy field land. But then again, this is Lancaster. Things get built where the good ol’ boys own the land.

          • Just Saying says

            September 20, 2014 at 12:19 pm

            None of Lancaster reaches past 100 St W, 5 miles short of the reserve. Any building that far out is under LA County, not Lancaster. As for the reserve, it’s just that, a reserve. Nothing will ever be built on a reserve without fierce opposition. Besides, Solar Panels are close to the ground, and hide themselves in the background of poppy pictures. Something buildings can’t do. Anywhere solar panels are, the possibility of buildings in that spot are squeezed out. I’d rather see solar panels around the fields then buildings that stick up like monoliths.

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