Kathryn "Katie" Meade (born 18 May 1983) is an American model, widely considered to be "the first model with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

to become the face of a beauty campaign." Meade was born in

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

in a family of three female children to Tom and Becky Meade. She experienced many health problems ever since early childhood, being diagnosed with

and having undergone two open heart surgeries. Meade attended mainstream classes at Herbert Hoover High School, where she reports having been bullied by other students due to her condition. While in high school, she joined

Best Buddies International Best Buddies International is an American nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. It consists of volunteers that create opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The program's main purpose is to allow volunteers ...

. It was while working as an ambassador for the organization that she was approached by Beauty and Pin-Ups to become the face of their 2016 "Fearless" range, thus becoming the first model with Down syndrome to front a beauty campaign. In addition to being a model, Meade has also participated in the Special Olympics, winning the gold medal for the balance beam in

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

at the 1999 Special Olympics World Summer Games. Four years later, at the 2003 World Games in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

, she introduced U2's performance. During her career, she has befriended many famous people, most notably Rob Lowe and Tom Brady. When Meade was hit by a car in October 2016, the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

star sent her a video message, wishing her full recovery. , she works as Office Generalist at the Polk County Treasurer's Office.

References

External links

Beauty & Pin-Ups' "Fearless" products
Female models from Iowa Sportspeople with Down syndrome American disabled sportspeople Living people Models with disabilities 1983 births People from Des Moines, Iowa 21st-century American women {{US-model-stub

See also

References

External links