Oftentimes, birthday parties can be a time of anxiety and excitement for teenagers all across the world. There are so many things that can go wrong or right, so many factors to consider – wondering who will invite you where, who else will be there, if you get left out of things, and, beyond that, if you’ll even enjoy yourself. But recently, one fifteen-year-old girl received a birthday invitation that changed her life.
Her Story
Macy, a fifteen-year-old girl with Down syndrome, broke the internet after her mother uploaded a heartwarming video to Instagram. Macy’s mother, Heather Avis, said that her daughter has only been invited to a handful of birthday parties since she started kindergarten.
Avis took to Instagram to post the following message, “Yesterday Macy got in the car and showed me an invitation to a birthday party for a friend at school who is also in the life skills program. Her joy from this invitation is palpable. WOW!” she wrote.
The Video
“To me it spoke of a longing fulfilled. All I could do was laugh with her and then cry as I celebrated with her,” Avis shared. In the video, you can see the excitement on Macy’s face as she waves the invitation at the camera.
“You got invited to a birthday party?” you can hear her mother ask.
“Yeah!” Macy replies with a joyful smile before she lets out a joyful squeal.
The Interview
As soon as the video went viral on Instagram, TODAY.com reached out to Avis about the video, and this was what she had to say.
“You can hear me start to get choked up because my sweet girl is so elated to be included,” she told TODAY.com in an interview. “It speaks to the common humanity that we all share. We all, as humans, want to feel like we belong. We all want to be wanted.”
Her fifteen-year-old daughter, Macy, was put into a life skills program for students with intellectual disabilities when the time came for her to go to high school. Avis opened up about the positive impact this program had on her daughter.
“As soon as Macy walked into the classroom as a new student, she was instantly embraced. No one was questioning if she has value and worth. She’s finding a place where she feels belonging and community.” she told TODAY.com.
An Update
After the video went viral, thousands of viewers shared their support for Macy and her mother in the comments. Many also asked for an update once the time had come for the big birthday party.
Avis decided to post an update on May 30, which included a video of Macy clapping her hands and laughing excitedly. In the video, it is clear that Macy is beside herself with joy and excitement.
“What did you tell me when we were there?” Avis asks in the video.
“I love it here! I love birthday parties!” Macy tells her mother.
More Details
Avis gave more details in the captions when she wrote, “Noteworthy detail: the birthday boy is a disabled student in the life skills class at Macy’s school. The party was inclusive not because a student in the general education program invited Macy, but because a person with an intellectual disability invited both disabled and non-disabled individuals. It was inclusive because people like Macy and the young man we were celebrating, who are often excluded, truly understand how to include others. Let’s reflect on that for a moment!”
This story shows us just how valuable it is to include those around us. One small detail can make another person’s entire day!
Reference:
https://www.today.com/parents/teens/teens-joy-birthday-party-invitation-goes-viral-rcna154928
