When Christopher Michael Burke was born on August 26, 1965 and diagnosed with Down syndrome, doctors delivered the news to his parents and then compounded it with a blunt recommendation.
Physicians told Frank Burke, a retired New York City Police Inspector, and his wife Marian, Chris would likely never be able to converse and they should plan on putting their son in an institution.
Thankfully, they would hear nothing of it.
Fifty-nine years later, actor Chris Burke, best known for playing “Corky” Thatcher on the television series “Life Goes On,” enters his fourth decade serving as the Goodwill Ambassador for the National Down Syndrome Society.
Friday, March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day, a special occasion observed since 2012. The timing of the event is deliberate – the 21st day of the 3rd month represents the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome.
It’s estimated there are over 200,000 people with the condition living in the United States.
Life Goes On ran on ABC from September of 1989 to May of 1993. The plot line was a familiar one for Chris – a family eager to normalize life for their son with special needs.
When the show first hit the airwaves, those in the disability awareness world cheered. But the impact of the program turned out not to be just feel-good fodder but inspirational and even lifesaving.
Co-executive producer Rick Rosenthal told The New York Times that a friend of one of the writers of the show, whose baby had received a Down diagnosis while in the womb, decided not to abort the child after seeing Chris.
”She decided to have the child because of what was portrayed on the show of Corky being a high functioning and loving guy,” Rosenthal told the Times. It’s impossible to know how many other mothers and fathers have been likewise influenced to not abort their children because of a Down syndrome diagnosis.
Sadly, not enough.
Between 67% and 89% of women with a Down syndrome diagnosis in recent years have chosen abortion. In Iceland, the condition has virtually disappeared because every woman with a prenatal Down diagnosis has chosen abortion.
Chris Burke grew up in New York City with three siblings. It was difficult for his mom and dad to find schools to accommodate his disability, but he caught the acting bug as a student at the Cardinal Cushing School, a faith-based institution. He first performed in The Emperor’s New Clothes, a role that caught the eye of a Hollywood producer in the audience. But it was Jason Kingsley, another actor with Down syndrome, who encouraged Chris to go all-in and try and make a living of the profession.
The youngster continued to study and take on additional roles. After graduation, he took a job as an elevator operator before landing steady acting jobs in Hollywood.
“It’s not your disabilities, it’s your abilities that count,” Chris likes to say.
“When babies are born with Down Syndrome, people want to tell you all that they can’t be,” Frank Burke, Chris’ father, has said. “No one ever tells you all they can be.”
Chris has been a whole lot, especially an inspiration and motivation to live a life without limits.
“Having Down syndrome is like being born normal,” Chris says. “I am just like you, and you are just like me. We are all born in different ways, that is the way I can describe it. I have a normal life.”
On World Down Syndrome Day – and every other day, too, we recognize that every life is sacred.
Image credit: IMDb
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