Dad's heartwarming thread on daughter with Down Syndrome goes viral: 'Expect this'

Abby Haglage
Jason Kneen’s Twitter thread on his daughter Rosie went viral this weekend for its honest depiction of Down Syndrome. “#Wouldntchangeathing” he wrote. (Photo: Twitter, @JasonKneen)
Jason Kneen’s Twitter thread on his daughter Rosie went viral this weekend for its honest depiction of Down Syndrome. “#Wouldntchangeathing” he wrote. (Photo: Twitter, @JasonKneen)

When UK dad Jason Kneen started a Twitter thread about his daughter Rosie, he chose a simple premise. “My child has Down Syndrome, what can I expect?”

“This. 100% this,” Kneen wrote, sharing a picture of his daughter Rosie smiling ear to ear in a kitten-covered coat. “Also expect this,” he tweeted again, with a picture of his daughter — seemingly younger — smiling with a towel on top of her head. “#Wouldntchangeathing.”

The two simple posts garnered an incredible reaction, with more than 67,000 likes and close to 6,000 retweets in less than 24 hours. Following the immense support on Twitter, Kneen added more, saying he was “totally NOT ready for a child like Rosie,” but that things changed once he got to know his daughter — and saw how special she was. “Quickly I realized that ANY child can be slow to talk; slow to walk; have learning difficulties,” he tweeted. “ANY child can be brilliant & wonderful and amazing.”

Kneen detailed the health battles his daughter has “bravely” fought — including pneumonia — and the joy she brings to his family. “She continues to enjoy life, every day, and reminds us and ME how fun it all is,” he tweeted.

While in the hospital for one of her illnesses, Kneen said he and his daughter watched Moana daily, prompting Dwayne the Rock Johnson to tweet at his littlest fan. “Stay strong Rosie!” he tweeted. “Uncle Maui loves ya. What can I saaaaayy except you’re welcome.”

In reply to Kneen’s thread, Twitter erupted with pictures of what he dubbed Rosie’s “extended DS family.” The other smiling pictures of toddlers and kids with Down Syndrome across the globe. The entire thread seems to have made for a heartwarming story in a particularly cruel news cycle. “You give me faith in humanity,” one Twitter user wrote. “I hope your family is rewarded with happiness.”

“It’s been an amazing experience with a massively, positive response,” Kneen tweeted.

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