MaKyla and family visits New York City
On Sept. 15, nineyear-old MaKyla marched through the halls of Ringgold Primary School sporting a sign made by her teachers reading: Headed to New York. At 9:15 that evening, she and her parents were on a northbound train out of Atlanta.
MaKyla was going to the Big Apple to see her picture on one of the city’s giant digital billboards in Times Square. It would be one of hundreds of photographs of people with Down Syndrome displayed to help spread the message: We’re more alike than we are different. The giant slide show is sponsored annually by the National Down Syndrome Society and coincided this year with the New York Down Syndrome Society Buddy Walk, a fundraiser, education and awareness event.
But if you’re going to make a 17-hour trip to New York, you hope to do more than see your picture on a skyscraper. You might want to meet someone famous, someone you’re in love with – like Sesame Street’s Elmo. MaKyla was not disappointed – Elmo was hanging out in the Square, along with Cookie Monster and Mario.
“MaKyla thought riding the train at night was hilarious,” says her mother, Monica Boggus. “We brought her iPod and dolls, and she played with the girl in the window and loved seeing things move by so fast outside.” The window friend was, of course, MaKyla herself.
The family found money-saving accommodations across the bridge from New York City, in Newark, New Jersey. They had raised funds for the trip partly through a GoFundMe campaign. “So many people helped,” says Boggus, “relatives, people from McCallie where my husband went to school and from Kirkman Tech where I went to school, people from my workplace – Blue Cross, and from Belk where my husband works. Our church, Joseph Chapel, helped and so did my parents’ church, Union Grove. Teachers, staff, bus drivers and students from MaKyla’s school contributed. It
was really incredible.”
It was their first day – Saturday – in New York that the family got to see MaKyla’s picture high above the crowded sidewalks. “When MaKyla’s picture came up,” says Boggus, “she stared then looked at me, then she started grinning and jumping up and down. It was a joy to see her little face light up.”
Next, they were off to the Buddy Walk in Central Park. “MaKyla loved Central Park. It’s kind of like taking Chickamauga Battlefield and setting it down in the middle of Chattanooga. MaKyla had more freedom to run around and play. They had a stage and there was no shortage of performers – those Buddy Walkers love to dance, including Miss MaKyla.”
Another fun activity the little celebrity discovered was chasing pigeons. “Bert on Sesame Street has From riding a train overnight to playing in Central Park, MaKyla Boggus got a huge dose of new experiences during her trip to New York City. (Photos courtesy of Monica Boggus)
pigeons,” Boggus explains. “MaKyla was enthralled seeing them in person.”
There was a scare during the trip. Boggus says they were back at their room in Newark when a family member called to see if they were all right. “We didn’t know a bomb had gone off in New
Jersey earlier in the day.” When they got yet another call and learned that a bomb had gone off in New York as well, they decided to spend Sunday in their room. “I was in Mama Bear mode,” says Boggus. “I just wanted to protect my little one.” The family ordered pizza and spent the day
enjoying each other’s company.
But on Monday, as if they were seasoned New Yorkers, they headed back to the city to finish out the itinerary they’d set for themselves. That included seeing the 9-11 Memorial, the Statue of Liberty, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the American Merchant Mariners’ Memorial, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Wall Street Bull.
“Everyone in New York was going about business as usual,” says Boggus. “The people there are strong and resilient. They refuse to cower in the face of threats, even bombs. You have to admire a city that can do that.”
As a water taxi dropped off visitors near the 9-11 Memorial, says Boggus, the guide asked everyone to maintain a solemn and reverent attitude. “She said people who lost family and friends in the attacks often came to the memorial to mourn their loved ones and asked everyone to be sensitive to that. I’m really glad we got to see it.”
The Statue of Liberty was another especially meaningful sight for Boggus. “We didn’t go inside – it’s really expensive. But I didn’t need to – everything she represents I could see from the boat. Lady Liberty is more than a monument. She’s a beloved friend, a living symbol of freedom to millions around the world. And although America keeps trying to be selective in that freedom, there will always be those who fight for it. For my daughter, that means being treated equally, getting a fair and true education, one day having a job and living in a society that will embrace her for the wonderful woman she’ll become.”
When it was time to return home, the family found good rates on air fare, and MaKyla got to ride the moving walkways at the Chicago airport where they changed planes. “She loved it,” says her mother. “She waved at everyone on the sidelines like she was Miss America.”
The best parts of the trip? “For MaKyla, the Buddy Walk, getting to see Elmo, all the friends she made and chasing pigeons,” says Boggus. “For me, seeing MaKyla so happy, seeing the Statue of Liberty – that amazing symbol of our country. For Michael – he loved Times Square – and getting to spend special time with his girls.”
And one more thing: “It was so encouraging the way people supported and helped us. That meant a lot to both me and my husband. We can’t name everyone, but thank you!”