A mum who feared her son would have ‘no life’ when he was diagnosed with Down's syndrome has revealed he can already make more money than her in a month – aged just four.
Amy Blackburn, 33, feared her son Remy would have no opportunities in life after it was discovered he had Down's syndrome when he was born.
The admin clerk, from Portsmouth, Hampshire, set up an Instagram account for Remy to connect with other parents whose children have Down Syndrome when Remy was a baby.
But before long, he had amassed a huge following – and was being approached by brands and model agencies desperate to work with him.
Now, Remy adores posing for the camera and having his pictures taken with brother Ollie, 13, and Brodie, 11.
He now has more than 22,000 followers on Instagram, and has worked with Next, Smyths the toy store, Little Tykes, Jojo Maman Bebe and Marks and Spencer – as well as auditioning for a project with Disney.
Amy said: “Remy is absolutely living his best life, and I want other parents out there who might be scared after a diagnosis to know that their child living with Down's syndrome is not the terrible news people thought it was 30 years ago.
“We only set up his account to connect with other families and try to show people what a fun and happy little boy he is and it blew up.
“When he was diagnosed, I had this image in my head of me walking down the street with him when he was 40, holding his hand, and it wasn’t the life I wanted for him.
“He was scouted by a model agency and he’s done a few campaigns for River Island, and we’ve had brand deals with toy shops and loads of children’s products.
“He absolutely loves opening the packages and trying everything on – he loves having his picture taken!
“The income from his modelling and Instagram account, I_am_Remy_B, can vary a lot, but it can be in excess of £2000 a month, which is more than me!
“He’s so independent and there really is no stopping him!”
Amy had no idea Remy may have had Down's syndrome during her pregnancy, and it was only after she gave birth in August 2018 that doctors said they needed to run tests.
She said: “I had no inkling I might have a baby with Down's syndrome.
“I grieved for the child I thought I was going to have, and the future terrified me.
“I would go to the hospital chapel and pray he didn’t have it, making silent prayers I would go to church if I could wake up from this nightmare.
“I just wish I had been able to see a child like Remy then, and realise what I imagined couldn’t be further from the truth.
“I have no doubt he will leave home at the earliest opportunity and go off to live his own life!"
After speaking to the Portsmouth Down Syndrome Association, Amy and husband Chris, a machine operator, decided they wanted to support other families who were left worried about their baby being diagnosed with Down's syndrome.
They set up an Instagram account for Remy in the hope of reaching other families with children with Down's syndrome – but instead became inundated with offers of work for Remy.
Amy said: “Remy absolutely loves getting dressed up in clothes and doing a fashion show for us.
“He gets more excited about the clothes packages coming than the toys.”
But despite Remy’s huge success, Amy says the family still have to deal with cruel comments from trolls.
She added: “Most of the comments we get from people are overwhelmingly positive, but when they’re horrible it is really hard to shake them off.
“One person messaged us saying we should have had Remy aborted.
“I think back to how scared I was when he was born and I just wish I could go back to that version of myself and tell her there really is no need to worry.
“Having a baby with Down's syndrome really has been a blessing for our family."
