Today, we met Maritsa Skowronek, 12, a dynamic young lady of many talents; she paints, draws, plays the guitar, writes songs, rides her bike, plays basketball, and much more. Maritsa lives with her mom, Athena, her dad, Ron, and her yia-yia. Athena, is a graphic designer and incorporates creativity in Maritsa's life every chance she can by giving Maritsa the freedom to try anything her heart desires. We were serenaded with one of her favorite songs, Fly by Maddie & Tae, one of her favorite country artists. We met Maritsa through Kids On The Go, a pediatric non-profit program designed to provide special needs children (3-17 years) with physical, occupational, speech and recreational therapies both over the summer months and during the school year.

The family is proud of their Greek and Polish heritage, rolling out the red carpet of hospitality for our team with Greek coffee, home baked sweets, bagels, etc. to nibble on while we filmed. In our sit-down interview with Athena and Ron, we learned that Maritsa was not planned, but welcomed with open, loving arms. While Ron explained, initially it was scary not knowing or understanding anything about Down syndrome, they would not change a thing and as Maritsa is approaching her teenage years it's apparent that she is no different from any other teenage girl, offering up the perfect amount of sass to the conversation.

Thank you to the Skowronek family for your much appreciated hospitality and excitement for the film.