Down’s Syndrome Woman To Be Weather Girl On French TV

Twenty-one-year-old Mélanie Ségard from France, who suffers from Down's Syndrome, had always dreamt of becoming a weather girl on television. A French charity UNAPEI came to her aid and helped her get several offers from national TV channels, including France 2 and BFMTV.

Melanie will host the prime time weather bulletin on French television next week. Prior to that, she is spending time in training for the broadcast, starting next Tuesday at the studios of public television station France 2, UNAPEI said in a statement.

The charity is also promoting Melanie’s story on Facebook and the campaign called Mélanie peut le faire (Mélanie can do it).

“Hi everyone, my name is Melanie and my dream is to present the weather,” the post reads.

Melanie said to The Mirror, ‘I am different, but I would like to show everyone that I can do plenty of things. I want to prove it by appearing on TV’.

Also Read: Woman with Down’s Syndrome Defies All Sceptics, Becomes Teacher

Through that post, Melanie had challenged the French media to let her present the weather forecast on accepting her condition but with one dare: if only the page reaches 100,000 likes. Without a doubt, world flooded her page with more than 200,000 likes in less than 2 weeks.

“Melanie is our ambassador,” UNAPEI president Luc Gateau told French radio. “We have just proved that a person with a handicap can realise her dream,” he said, adding: “Society needs this.”

Though the ambition is bigger than this, yet appearing on French TV and radio to discuss her campaign in the past week is worth mentioning here. All thanks to social media and the love people gave to her.

According to The Telegraph, the organisers said, "Today, people with a disability are invisible. The 100,000 likes are a sign of strong support – we are taken aback at how quickly the page became a success."

UNAPEI’s spokesperson made a statement saying Melanie broke through stereotypes and it is important that her story gets shared, acknowledged and loved. She could be the pioneer of raising people’s senses up in the way the world sees or treats people with Down’s Syndrome.

Also Read: Preeti Monga: She may be blind, but she’s far from disabled

"Seeing the public rally spontaneously around Melanie gives hope to thousands of people with disabilities who are still too often invisible," UNAPEI said.

Down’s Syndrome is a genetic condition that affects physical growth along with facial features and slight intellectual disability. It’s not curable yet.  According to the World Health Organization, approximately one in 1,000 people suffer this condition. Data states that each year, almost 6,000 babies are born with this syndrome.

Melanie will be the weather girl for the first time on March 27.

Watch Her Video Here:

The world is changing. And, determined people like Melanie, who despite being impaired, have proved her ability to achieve a goal in life and taught us a lesson that if the will is strong enough, no matter what, you will win.

But they need support. So this is a shout out for more individuals and more organisations to help Down’s Syndrome diagnosed children to reach their goals.

“Melanie Can Do It” for sure -- so can others!

ALSO READ: Poonam Shroti Talks About Living With Brittle Bone Disease, And Being Unstoppable

Feature Image Credit: Facebook

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