This is 62-year-old Fred Willis and his 16-year-old daughter Jessica of Stratford, Connecticut. Aside from being a nurse, Fred has also been drawing cartoons since he was a child.
Although Jessica was born with Down Syndrome, Fred never wanted her to be treated or looked at differently by other people. Using his lifetime of drawing experience, Fred decided to make cartoons about Jessica's life.
The cartoons titled "Just Jessica" feature the teen in everyday situations with comical captions.
Wills draws from family snapshots for inspiration, and uses things Jessica either says or does as subject matter . He illustrates them at night, and usually has them ready in the morning before he goes to work.
Wills told BuzzFeed that his main objective in making the cartoons was to show that his daughter is just like everyone else. "'Just Jessica' really has no defined stigma, she is just Jessica. More alike than different."
Wills shares the cartoons in an ongoing series on Facebook, and says the responses to them have been amazing.
Pictures of beautiful children and adults with Down Syndrome are pouring in. People are sharing how they are inspired and touched by what we are doing. Others are asking meaningful questions about Down Syndrome.
People are getting the message and passing it on. Many times parents and siblings who post their pictures will refer to their loved one with the name "Just Mary" or "Just Johnny", etc.
Some educators and alike are using the cartoons in their classrooms, parents are sharing them with their special needs and typical children.
He went on to say that Jessica loves the cartoons, and looks forward to seeing them each day when she comes downstairs for breakfast.
Wills said he dreams of starting an organization for special needs people to provide opportunities so they can be "Just Themselves". For now, he will continue documenting Jessica's life in this amazing way.
Just perfect!
