Boy with Down syndrome proved everyone wrong

A Dallas news station has produced a touching story about a Down syndrome boy whose diligent work has made an impression on his employer and proved everyone wrong.

18-year-old Nick Jones has a part time job at Park Cities Ford, a car dealership in Dallas, where his duties include making sure all the cars in the lot are locked while he also washes each window.

His responsibilities have grown to the point that Nick requires little, if any supervision.

Nick’s coworkers and employer say that they see Nick as part of the team, “Everyday he does it with a smile and with good energy,” said Jeff Enrigt, managing partner at Park Cities Ford.

Nick calls his work “his dream job” because he gets to work near the For Mustang he loves so much.

Nick’s mother Katie Jones told the Dallas station that things haven’t always been easy.

She told Fox4 that back in the day they would tell her that Nick didn’t have much of a future.

“That’s what you’re told. That’s what the doctors tell you – that’s what everyone around you tells you,” she said.

Park City Ford told Fox4 that hiring Nick, whose work is in high demand at the dealership, is not about charity.

They said that they see business value in Nick and are encouraging other businesses to be open minded.

“Nicky has proved everyone wrong,” says his mother, “And he continues to do that every day. Sometimes he proves me wrong, and I’m his mom,” she said.

Sadly, children like Nick are often viewed as a “burden” and a majority of children diagnosed with Down syndrome never make it out of the womb alive.

According to a 2012 report published in the medical journal “Prenatal Diagnosis,” women choose abortion 50 and 85 percent of the time after a receiving a medical diagnosis that their unborn child may have Down syndrome.

Evidence suggests that termination rates have decreased in recent years, though. A prior international systematic review found that 92% of pregnancies with a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome were terminated.

In 2013, North Dakota was the first state in the United States to ban abortions on babies diagnosed with Down Syndrome. The law also banned abortions based upon the sex of the fetus or a diagnosis of a genetic abnormality:

“Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a physician may not intentionally perform or attempt to perform an abortion with knowledge that the pregnant woman is seeking the abortion solely:
a. On account of the sex of the unborn child; or
b. Because the unborn child has been diagnosed with either a genetic abnormality or a potential for a genetic abnormality.”

Now, the state of Ohio is considering a similar ban on abortions of babies with Down syndrome under a bill Republicans plan to introduce in the Legislature.

Mike Gonidakis, president of Ohio Right to Life, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that details such as how the law would be enforced are still being determined as the bill is drafted.