Doctors told Andrea Prater that there was a one in 6,278 chance that she would have a child with Down syndrome as a 20-year-old.

“But we were blessed with him anyway,” she said of her 4-year-old son, Cevin.

Prater, now a 24-year-old junior at Western, found out six hours after Cevin’s birth that he had Down syndrome, a relatively common genetic disorder that causes a delay in physical and cognitive development.

She said she was scared at first because she didn’t know anything about the disorder, but she found there were lots of resources to help.

“I realized it wasn’t going to be that bad,” she said.

Prater said Cevin is more like other 4-year-olds than he is different. He goes to preschool, enjoys the playground and loves “Barney.”

But most kids his age don’t need to use sign language alongside vocabulary, as Cevin does. It also takes him longer to understand concepts such as counting and the alphabet, and he has to be looked after more carefully than other kids.

Prater and her husband, David, work with Cevin one-on-one each day to ensure he’s learning what he needs to. They said his Down syndrome doesn’t affect their daily routine, although there are challenges.

“The biggest thing is how society looks at him and treats him,” Prater said. “Not everybody is understanding and accepts him for who he is.”

It’s hard enough to go to college while raising a child without Down syndrome, she said.

“Every parent has to go through different challenges,” Prater said. “Mine just happens to be Down syndrome.”

Prater said she would never, if given the choice, choose for Cevin to no longer have Down syndrome.

“I’ve fallen in love with the person he is, and couldn’t imagine him any differently,” she said. “He was made exactly the way God meant for him to be.”

Taking care of her son has inspired Prater to represent people with Down syndrome on a community-wide level.

Prater volunteered at the Buddy Walk Saturday at Greenwood High School.

The purpose of a Buddy Walk, according to the National Down Syndrome Society’s Web site, is to promote the inclusion of people with Down syndrome, raise funds for advocacy programs and positively influence local and national policy.

The Buddy Walk in Bowling Green, which has gone on for nine years, is sponsored by the Down Syndrome Support Group of South Central Kentucky, the local affiliate of the National Down Syndrome Society. Prater is secretary for the local affiliate.

Participants raised nearly $20,000 , said Scott Essler, president of the local affiliate.

The money is divided three ways. Half stays with local affiliate, one-fourth supports local programs, such as the Special Olympics and one-fourth goes to the National Down Syndrome Society.

Before the walk, there were activities for about 500 people attending. They included educational and merchandise booths related to Down syndrome, an inflatable slide and inflatable bounce and a pig and calf to pet. Big Red even made an appearance.

Cevin came over with his dad to the booth where his mom was sitting Saturday, full of energy from an encounter with Big Red.

He wasn’t able to say very much, but it he smiled excitedly.

WBKO Weather Director Chris Allen was also at the walk. His sister-in-law, Felicia, has Down syndrome.

He said he didn’t know much about the disorder before he met her. He’s been learning more about it, and he’s seen how it affects someone.

“Hopefully, through me being here, maybe a lot more people will understand it,” he said.

Essler said the walk is a good way to raise awareness about the abilities of people with Down syndrome.

“There’s a lot of misconception about what people with Down syndrome can do,” he said. “People tend to focus on the inability rather than the ability.”

Reach Laurel Wilson at news@chherald.com.