Meet the Parents

When Derrah and Matt found out that their unborn child would have Down Syndrome, they felt every emotion EXCEPT joy.  There was sadness, frustration, worry, and doubt.  After taking time to process their new path, they then began to educate themselves further.  After meeting some amazing families and children with Down Syndrome, they began to see that a new emotion was forming...excitement.  From that moment on, they began to subscribe to the “No Limits” way of life.  There would not be any limits placed on their child due to a diagnosis or preconceived notions.  

When they finally got to meet their daughter on November 18, 2015, they got to see just how beautiful and perfect their new child was.  From a very young age, Cecelia was supported by her family, friends, and through early intervention services at the Kennedy-Donovan Center.  With all this support, Cecelia grew and flourished as Matt and Derrah looked on with adoration.  They began to see Cecelia improve her mobility, awareness, and interaction with others.

As Cecelia has continued to grow and thrive, Derrah and Matt have been behind her the entire time with the “No Limits” attitude.  It has led to Matt running the 2017 and 2018 Boston Marathons for the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress and Derrah running the “Race For 321”  for the National Down Syndrome Society that went from Washington D.C. to New York City.  Matt has also run the Chicago Marathon for “Ups for Downs” and Derrah joined Matt in 2018 by running the Boston Marathon and went on to run the Marine Corp Marathon for the National Down Syndrome Society in 2019.  Thanks to the generosity of their friends and families, from 2017-2019 they have raised over $40,000 for these amazing organizations.  

Derrah and Matt wanted to turn Cecelia’s Adventures into a charitable foundation in order to continue spreading the “No Limits” attitude through the sharing of their daughter’s story and donating to organizations that have the same philosophy.