Caterina Scorsone Hugs Daughter on World Down Syndrome Day

Spreading the love. Caterina Scorsone celebrated her middle daughter, Paloma “Pippa” Michaela, while showing support for World Down Syndrome Day.

“Happy World Down syndrome Day 21.3.23,” the 41-year-old actress wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, March 21. “Love is exactly what we are. Exactly as we are. 💛💙❤️ #joyisrebellion.”

The Grey’s Anatomy actress shared a photo of her hugging and twirling her 6-year-old child while honoring Pippa’s differences as someone who has Down syndrome.

World Down Syndrome Day takes place every March 21 and has been observed by the United Nations since 2012. The holiday was “selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome,” which is what causes the condition, according to the official campaign website.

Scorsone, for her part, has become an advocate for Down syndrome since welcoming her second child in November 2016.

The Canada native shares three daughters, Pippa, and her sisters, Eliza Angelica, 10, and Arwen “Lucky” Lucinda Jane, 3, with ex-husband Rob Giles. (Us Weekly exclusively broke the news in May 2020 that Scorsone had filed for divorce after 10 years of marriage.)

“My whole concept of what motherhood was had to shift,” the Ny-Lon actress explained during a March 2019 episode of the “Motherly” podcast. “When Pippa was born, and I realized that she had Down syndrome and she was going to have some physical differences and some cognitive differences … I didn’t know what her capacity would be. It really did send me into a tailspin.”

While her initial reaction to her daughter’s diagnosis felt like a “tempest in a teacup,” Scorsone realized her job was to “keep [Pippa] safe … and make her feel loved.”

The Private Practice alum has since shared her and Pippa’s story publicly and posted messages of support via social media as much as possible.

“When this little soul was born to me, she placed her tiny hands over my eyes and taught me to stop looking and finally see,” Scorsone wrote via Instagram in March 2021. “Happy World Down Syndrome Day. 💛💙❤️.”

Seven months later, the November Man actress once again paid tribute to her middle child in honor of Down syndrome awareness month. “I like Down syndrome ‘celebration’ month even more. I don’t want to just be aware, I want to be deliriously in love with every single molecule and chromosome and cell that make up the uniqueness of each person, including people with Down syndrome,” she wrote alongside an Instagram photo of Pippa in October 2021. “Down syndrome is something you can be aware of. That’s a pretty low bar. Can you accept it? Can you accept people who are different from you? Can you accept all their gifts and also their needs for support? Can you accept your own? I think that might be the ticket.”

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The former 1-800-Missing star concluded: “If we can truly love and approve of our own needs and gifts and challenges, it’s a lot easier to accept and love others regardless of the check list of quantifiable traits, chromosomes or accomplishments. We don’t have to be the same. That would be dead boring. So let’s go from awareness to acceptance to delirious love and curiosity and celebration. — Or, you do you but that’s what I’m into. It feels real good. 💙💛❤️.”