EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SARAH & EMILY FRANCATI

ALL IN FOR EMILY

A S I S T E R LY B O N D N O T T O B E B R O K E N Cooking up fun on TikTok, YouTube, in the car and in the kitchen, Sarah cares for and creates with her sister, Emily, who has down syndrome and a desire to be a social media star. Through videos sharing their smiles and laughter of life behind the lens, Emily and Sarah (with her girlfriend, Cindy) are sharing their life to show sisterly bonds can’t be disrupted by disability.

Allié: Sisterhood is a sacred bond to be protected, defended and enjoyed. And ‘enjoy’ you do with your story on display for us to watch along the way. Sarah, please share the story of the bond you have with Emily - what you’ve been through together and where you’re going together.

Sarah: Oh, goodness. Well, it goes all the way back to when Emily was born! When Emily was born no one knew she had down syndrome. My mother refused to have any testing done during the pregnancy. It took my family by complete surprise. Emily’s birth eventually sent my mother into a deep and dark depression. I was 10-years-old when Emily was born and the first thing that I said was “Mama, it's going to be okay. She is going to change our lives for the better.” It’s 15 years later, and Emily is my purpose, my sunshine in human form, and my very best friend. Throughout Emily’s life she has faced constant discrimination. However, no matter how much hate we receive, Emily always responds with a smile. She has the biggest and most forgiving heart in this world. Instead of retaliating and responding to the hate with more hate; I have learned (from Emily) that the best way to react is with love and education. Emily has made me a kinder and better person. She has taught me one of the most valuable lessons in life; which is forgiveness. People truly have no idea how brilliant she is. However, we hope that we are educating more and more people everyday with our videos. To show people all of Emily’s abilities and how you should NEVER judge someone by how they look. We want to keep educating people and spreading awareness about Down Syndrome and other developmental disabilities. This is OUR purpose.

101 AWARENOW / THE SOURCE EDITION

www.IamAwareNow.com