A groom’s touching surprise for his bride-to-be brought tears to her eyes and is now touching hearts around the world. José Victor Flach, a mechanical engineer in Brazil, arranged for his fiance, Cíntia Bonfante Pereira, a speech therapist, to have her students with Down syndrome walk down the aisle as ring bearers and flower girls.
In April, the happy couple shared the video on Instagram, which has since gone viral again for Down Syndrome Awareness Month. The bride and groom stood before the priest, who stopped talking, only for music to begin playing. Cíntia turned to see a procession of her students walking towards her. She was immediately overwhelmed with emotion as she waved to them.
One little boy led the way, holding hands with another student, while beautifully attired little girls adorned with flowers in their hair walked forward carrying flowers and lollipops. Another pair even drove down the aisle in an electric car! When they reached the end of the aisle, both José and Cíntia greeted them warmly, one by one, with hugs and handshakes.
“It was very emotional because I asked the priest from the church we got married to let me have the kids I had in my practice, but he said that I couldn’t,” Cíntia said, according to 7News. “In reality, my husband had asked him to say that because he had already planned it with the priest.”
She explained that her job brings a lot of joy and meaning to her life. “I truly love what I do and I am lucky to be able to help them have a better quality of life,” she said on Instagram. “I believe that every person has potential. We need to look at them beyond their disabilities so then we can help them surpass the barriers they have in life.”
READ: Woman with Down syndrome: UK law says people like me are ‘better off dead’
The viral nature of the video has helped her to accomplish what she sees as one of her goals in life: to advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities. “My dream has always been to spread the beauty of social and school inclusion, and this video, without meaning to, became the living proof that everyone deserves equal opportunities.”
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