Happy Soul Project celebrates children with special needs

photo courtesy Tara McCallan 

Tara was like many expectant mothers today.  She regularly posted photos about her pregnancy to social media, eagerly anticipating the birth of her baby.  They would name her Reid, but call her by her nickname, Pip.

Within a few days of her daughter’s arrival, Tara and her husband got the news that Pip was born with Down Syndrome, congenital cataracts and numerous heart defects. 

They were in total shock since there was no indication during her pregnancy.  

Tara went dark on social media and from the world around her.

“I was grieving the child that she was supposed to be and who I thought I wanted her to be,” says Tara while speaking with me on the phone.

One night while laying Pip in her crib, Tara crouched down sobbing on the floor beside her.  

“I couldn’t remember how long I was there, it could have been minutes or hours.”  

She looked up to see a sign that she had painted and hung above the crib which read, ‘Life is more beautiful because you are here.’

Tara got up and returned to her computer to post her raw feelings through a blog, announcing that her daughter had Down Syndrome.  

That same night, she received replies from around the world from other parents of special needs children.  

The days and weeks that followed, Tara continued to post and gather a bigger circle of support around her.  Social media had become her therapy and listening ear.  

She named her page, The Happy Soul Project and it now has over 26,000 followers on Instagram, and over 32,000 on Facebook.  

“I gathered an army to support us,” says Tara.  “We’ve been uplifted by people worldwide.”  

By creating the blog, Tara and her family learned to focus on the magic that is in Pip.  At five years old, she has undergone 20 operations but does so with humour, grace and always a sense of playfulness.

Tara’s posts focus on their family life including videos of their morning routine, going for walks and talking with one another, bedtime stories and family outings.  

All with the aim of making Pip front and centre while showing the normalcy and fun in raising a child with special needs.  

Some of the other projects that Tara is spearheading include a worldwide #differentisbeautiful campaign featuring children with special needs. 

In addition, there is the Happy Soul Project shop which is managed by adults with special needs, a school program, a Queen’s University Club with hundreds of students and community events. 

“I wanted to somehow make a dent in the universe,” she says.  “Initially I did the blog for me, but now it’s become my purpose to help others.”


To connect with The Happy Soul Project, visit www.happysoulproject.org