March deemed Trisomy Awareness Month by County Mayor

A proclamation was signed by County Mayor Jonah Keltner in honor of the untimely passing of Everett Ray Dotson on July 4, 2021.

Little Everett Ray passed away at the age of one years old due to Trisomy, a condition in which a baby is born with an extra chromosome.

Most people are born with 23 pairs of chromosomes inn most or all of their cells; those with a Trisomy condition yield a third chromosome among one of the usual pairs as a type of aneuploidy. Trisomy can occur within any of the 23 pair of chromosomes.

The condition can cause a variety of health problems ranging from mild intellectual and developmental disability, to severe physical problems. The most common Trisomies in newborns are Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), Trisomy 18 (Edwards Syndrome), and Trisomy 13 (Patau Syndrome).

Thankfully there are support groups, medical professionals and online communities who offer education, encouragement and counseling for those managing Trismoy pregnancies or raising Trisomy-affected children.

The proclamation read, "I, Jonah, Mayor of Lewis County, Tennessee, do hereby proclaim the month of March 2022 to be "Trisomy Awareness Month" in Lewis County, and encourage everyone in our community to educate themselves on all forms of Trisomy, help support families currently experiencing Trismony, and participate in assisting all people with developmental disabilities achieve their full potential."

Everett's parents, D'jay Dotson and Amy Lawson, attended the signing surrounded by friends Leslie Mathis, Abby Lomax and Kelsey Grippi.