MT. JULIET, Tenn — A Mt. Juliet toddler born with a rare form of Down syndrome will make a special appearance on the Times Square jumbotron Saturday, bringing joy to his family and raising awareness for the condition.

"Legend Whaley will be about a year and a half old when he turns two at the end of March," said Whaley.

He was born with a rare form of Down syndrome at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

Legend's journey began with a 22-day NICU stay for monitoring feeding issues, followed by heart surgery at just four months old that kept him hospitalized for months.

"Those were the dark days, that's what I considered them because it was just like going through the motions, you know," Lakyn Whaley said.

Throughout the challenging early days, the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee pr

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