A child’s smile can make anything a bit brighter.
Especially when that smile comes amidst challenges no little one should have to face.
So when a shocking diagnosis of Down Syndrome came, the parents of Olivia Chandler were scared.
But little Olivia kept smiling, in spite of all the medical issues she faced in her first year of life. And now, that smile has landed her on a Times Square billboard in New York City and a viral sensation on the internet.
When John Chandler and Lori Orr learned that their daughter had Down syndrome, the Oklahoma family was stunned.
The diagnosis was not one they had expected. Lori said that their doctor told them not to Google anything until the tests came back, but that didn’t deter the parents. She said that everything they read scared them, but that after Olivia was born they “didn’t have time to really think about it for too long because she was so sick.”
Dad John Chandler lifts up Olivia in front of her Jumbotron image in this viral photo. Photo by Lori Orr
Down syndrome is a chromosomal condition that affects more than 6,000 newborns in the United States each year, the CDC reports.
Along with the diagnosis, health struggles can often land the babies back in the hospital.
“(Olivia) wasn’t eating, wasn’t getting enough calories,” Lori said.
We were having so much trouble with her that the thought of Down syndrome was put on the back burner.”
Doctors told the parents that Olivia had failure to thrive, as well as a heart issue that is common with babies with Down syndrome.
The little girl spent seven months of her first year of life in and out of the hospital. She has already had heart surgery, as well as a paralyzed vocal cord. But Lori said her daughter has never stopped smiling.
“But that whole time, even after heart surgery, she was smiling,” she said. “She has this awesome spirit that will just change you on the inside and make you smile on the outside.”
Lori and John, along with Olivia and their 9-year-old son Jaxon, joined the Central Oklahoma City Down Syndrome Association, which gave them support they needed while dealing with all of Olivia’s health problems.
“They invited us to a picnic last spring here in the city and that was the first time we had any contact with anyone in the Down syndrome community,” she said.
“I think we would not have been so sad in the beginning if someone had let us know it was going to be okay, especially in those first few months,” Lori said.
So when Lori saw a post for a contest with the National Down Syndrome Society, she entered Olivia. The family had been through so much, she said, that having something to brighten things would help so much. Plus, Olivia’s smile is irresistible.
Everywhere we go, people say, you know, her smile makes me smile,” she said.
Four months after entering the contest, Olivia was chosen out of more than 2,400 entries, along with a handful of others.
Olivia Chandler. Photo by Lori Orr
“Seeing Olivia’s picture and that sweet smile, it was not a hard choice to know we wanted her photo displayed in the 2023 Times Square Video,’’ said Missy Adams, manager of community events for National Down Syndrome Society.
The family flew to New York to see Olivia’s picture. A picture of the little girl being held up in front of the billboard by her father, while wearing a matching smile, went viral.
“Olivia did great. She made a friend everywhere we went, on the subway, the bus, she was always smiling at somebody and somebody was always smiling back,” Lori said.
Lori said she wants to let other families who might be dealing with the same struggles that it will be OK.
“Your life is going to change and that child is going to change you. These kids and adults with Down syndrome, they are making the world a better place,” she said. “Even with a typical kid, you don’t know what the future will bring. We are just trying to give … Olivia the best life possible.”
Watch the beautiful little girl and her amazing family, below.
