Nick and Gabe both have Down syndrome. They met in Detroit in April 2019 during the National Down Syndrome Society’s national convention. The conference ends with a dance set up by the organizers as the two were inseparable.
By “messing up” all of the parents and guardians to make sure everyone is found and safe on the way back to their place, Nick never obtained Gaby’s contact information. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina and lives in Canton, Ohio. So like young millennials, he took to social media and found it.
They started their long romance with texting, phone, and FaceTime. They were looking forward to the upcoming conference in June, the National Down Syndrome Conference, which will take place in Pittsburgh, and both will attend. They’ve spent every second together these three days but again, very sad at the end, because there were no more conferences to bring them together. A few weeks after they get home, Gabe breaks down crying for her mom, telling her how much she misses Nick.
Mary, Gabe’s mother, reached out to Lisa, Nick’s mother, and they knew they had to do something to bring them together. Mary has booked a flight for her and Gabi to visit Nick in Canton. They decided to try to surprise them. Marie tells Gaby they are going to a conference while Lisa tells Nick that her boyfriend needs to get him home from the airport.
It’s really remarkable that their relationship blossomed, as neither Nick nor Gabe had ever been in a relationship before. They also had no interest in having a relationship with someone with Down syndrome. But it was really love at first sight!
Source: Lisa Doyle, Nick’s mother
