On Sunday, July 22 at 10:00 pm, Niagara Falls was lit up teal to honor National Fragile X Awareness Day! We are extremely grateful to the Niagara Falls Illumination Board for making this happen. The teal lighting created a spectacular experience for all the spectators on both sides of the falls.
FRAXA co-founders Katie Clapp and Michael Tranfaglia made the drive from Massachusetts, and our web developer, Eric Welin, trekked to the falls with his entire family. Our afternoon meet up at Goat Island included Fragile X families from Canada, Illinois, Kentucky, New York and South Africa! Several happy Fragile X self-advocates could be seen running around with their siblings, while everyone enjoyed the Fragile X family reunion. It was great to see all of the different Fragile X shirts our friends wore.
After the meet up, everyone went off to explore the many sites at Niagara Falls. The Welins, joined by Holly Usrey-Roos, ventured into the Cave of the Winds, descending 175 feet into the Niagara Gorge for a breathtaking one-of-a-kind view of the falls. Katie and Mike traveled over to the Canadian side where they connected with more Fragile X friends and families.
Families reconnected, including some who were not able to attend the afternoon meet up, on either side of the falls to witness this uplifting event. They were joined by thousands of other Niagara visitors and thousands more have watched it since online. We hope that many more people have gained an awareness of fragile X.