‘The most rewarding coaching ever’: Down’s syndrome adults taught surfing, and other physical activities, free of charge by charity
- Free therapy and exercise for people with Down’s syndrome ends in Hong Kong when they leave school, leaving many facing an early death from inactivity
- Jeff Rotmeyer set up the Love 21 Foundation to extend their lives through free physical activities and a good diet. It’s a win-win for coaches and their charges
A parent of a child with Down’s syndrome faces a daunting concern, notes Jeff Rotmeyer: “You are afraid either way, that you are going to outlive your kid, or that your kid will outlive you – who is going to take care of him or her then?”
As a volunteer soccer coach with Hong Kong Down Syndrome Association, Canadian-born Rotmeyer saw several of his students die young, in their 30s, despite Hong Kong having one of the longest life expectancies in the world.
Down’s syndrome, a genetic condition, results from abnormal cell division involving chromosome 21 that causes an extra partial or full 21st chromosome to appear. This extra genetic material is responsible for the characteristic features and developmental problems of Down’s syndrome. The World Health Organisation estimates that one in 1,000 babies are born with this condition globally.
People with Down’s syndrome easily gain excess weight and are also prone to heart problems, skin diseases, and immune system disorders. Rotmeyer attributed the early deaths among his Hong Kong students to a “lack of opportunity for exercise programmes in low-income families, and bad nutrition”.
Love 21 works with low-income families who have a child with Down’s syndrome or other learning disability, offering free classes in sport and fitness, and nutrition and cooking classes to teach the importance of healthy eating. The foundation also provides healthy food to the families.