On a Wednesday evening last May, sisters Crystal Muro and Liz Mahar stood together at a hotel in downtown Washington, D.C. where the GLOBAL Down Syndrome Foundation was hosting its 8th annual AcceptAbility Gala. Crystal, who had just turned 40, was serving as the 2026 GLOBAL ambassador—an honor that brought the two sisters together for a week in the nation's capital.

The GLOBAL Down Syndrome Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to significantly improving the lives of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, education, and advocacy. GLOBAL invited Crystal to serve as the 2026 ambassador after learning that she had a milestone birthday coming up in May. GLOBAL noted that recent ambassadors had been younger and they wanted to shine a light on an adult with Down syndrome — someone who could tell a different story.

Liz asked Crystal, who asked, "It's a trip to D.C.?" When Liz said yes, Crystal replied, "Okay!" and was excited from that moment on.

The gala brought together celebrities, bipartisan lawmakers, scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), philanthropists, advocates, and families. Crystal and Liz took the stage together to deliver remarks, focused on GLOBAL’s advocacy for increased NIH funding for Down syndrome research. This research not only helps improve health outcomes for people with Down syndrome, but also could be key to unlocking cures for Alzheimer's disease for people with and without Down syndrome. For Liz, it was a deeply special experience to share that moment with her sister, particularly on a milestone birthday.

For Crystal, it was a special experience to share her story of a full life. She lives at home with her family in California and has worked at a senior center for the past 10 years, a job she loves. After the gala, many families of young children with Down syndrome were moved by Crystal’s story and her relationship with Liz. They told Liz it was wonderful to see Crystal working in the community—a vision of someone who had faced life's challenges and was now truly thriving. A number of people also commented on seeing a sibling relationship shine on stage.

Crystal stayed in D.C. for a full week — the first time she had ever been apart from their mother for more than two days, and Liz recalls they had a blast visiting her office, going to museums, and checking out a movie.

Crystal has inspired Liz’s advocacy work long before the gala. One story Liz tells is particularly haunting. When Crystal was born, doctors told her parents, "You have a ‘normal’ child at home, so you should just consider putting your child in an institution." Influenced by a strong cultural belief that family takes care of their own, their parents said, “Absolutely not!”

But that initial interaction was so traumatic that for the first four years of Crystal's life, they did not access services. They were afraid. They thought accessing services meant an institution. Because of that fear, Crystal did not receive early occupational therapy or speech therapy. Liz notes that this happened in 1986. She is proud of their parents' very important decision to keep Crystal at home.

The Muro family faced other healthcare challenges that many other Latino families also experience. Crystal was born with a hole in her heart, which required open-heart surgery at six months old, and she was in and out of the hospital for the first five years of her life. Their mother is a breast cancer survivor and father passed away from complications of melanoma many years ago.

These experiences shaped Liz’s view of how Latino patients navigate the healthcare system and fuel her passion for healthcare advocacy in her work at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). Being the sibling of a young woman with Down syndrome, Liz has also observed that Latino families and Spanish language materials are greatly underrepresented in the disability advocacy community. Liz and Crystal are happy to see that organizations like GLOBAL are working to advocate for more research and better health outcomes for people with Down syndrome.

The Muro sisters live on opposite sides of the country, but their sibling bond is strong. They hope Crystal’s story demonstrates what’s possible for an individual living with a disability. Let’s accept ability and better support individuals with disabilities to live and thrive in their communities.