By Christena T. O'Brien
Leader-Telegram staff
Tuesday, September 7, 2010

CHIPPEWA FALLS — First-time parents-to-be Mike and Katia Hauser — both active and physically fit — expected to have a healthy, perfect baby.

About four months into the pregnancy, the couple learned they were at risk for having a child with Down syndrome. Additional tests confirmed it, blind-siding the expectant parents.

But the birth of their daughter, Annaliese, months later on April 11, 2001, eased their grief and gave them a new focus in life.

 And while they didn't know it then, memories of her arrival eight years later would become the vision for a company that would create awareness, empowerment and, ultimately, employment for individuals with Down syndrome.

 During a conversation about their daughter's birth, Mike and Katia recalled the doctor's observation of the physical markers of Down syndrome, including a unique footprint. Some children with Down syndrome have an extra-large space between their big and second toes.

 The Hausers — after seeking a unique and universal image that would represent Down syndrome other than an awareness ribbon — established Down Syndrome Footprint, a company with a nonprofit foundation, in 2009, and their footprint symbol has gone national.

 "We have always wanted to do something to create awareness since Annaliese was born," said Katia at the couple's home in Chippewa Falls. "Now is our time."

Down syndrome occurs when an individual has three, rather than two, copies of the 21st chromosome. The additional genetic material alters the course of development.

One in every 733 babies is born with Down syndrome, according to the Down Syndrome Footprint website. Currently, there are more than 400,000 people living with Down syndrome in the United States, including 9-year-old Annaliese.

 Katia's father, Russell Horn, used to be the director of the former Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled in Chippewa Falls, and their family lived on the grounds for a short time. Her sisters, Heather and Shawna, also worked at the center, and their mom, Diane, was a counselor at a facility for people with special needs in Illinois. So the Hausers were familiar with Down syndrome before the birth of their daughter.

 However, all they could picture were adults with Down syndrome — and very few opportunities for their child.

 During Katia's pregnancy, she and Mike looked at a lot of baby pictures of children with Down syndrome. They also grieved the loss of the child they had envisioned.

"It was very painful for both of us and felt like the death of our dream of the perfect child," Katia said of learning the baby girl she carried had Down syndrome. "But when we saw Annaliese, everything was OK, and a new vision of perfection was created."

 Mike, an engineer at Hutchinson Technology Inc., agreed.

"She was beautiful and perfect to us," he said.

But like other babies with Down syndrome, Annaliese was born with a heart defect, and more than three months after her arrival, the infant, who weighed just under 10 pounds, had to undergo open-heart surgery to make necessary repairs.

Following the birth of their first son, Maxwell, in July 2003, the Hausers began to notice Annaliese's physical development was slower than her brother's, which is common in children with Down syndrome. It took her longer to learn to walk, and she suffered some speech delays.

Today, Annaliese knows she has Down syndrome and difficulty speaking. However, the third-grader at Parkview School, where she attends most classes at the Chippewa Falls elementary with her peers and sees speech, physical and occupational therapists, is thriving.

Her parents have enrolled her in swimming lessons at the Chippewa Valley Family YMCA. She also dances — and can be encouraged to show off her moves from time to time — and has a huge group of friends.

"Anything our boys can do we want her to try," Katia said. (She and Mike's youngest child, Nathaniel, was born in December 2004.) "And she is full of confidence."

Encouragement from others helped boost the Hausers' confidence after they decided to move forward with Down Syndrome Footprint.

"We had no idea how much time it would take," said Katia, who was working part time when the couple got their venture off the ground last year.

"But, we both are very passionate about this," Mike said.

That passion, along with the donations of office space for a year at 770 Technology Way and a laptop computer, also have assured the couple that what they're doing "is the right thing to do," he said.

Through Down Syndrome Footprint, the Hausers hope to make people, including new parents, aware of the chromosomal condition. Awareness brings focus, leads to acceptance and creates more opportunities, such as quality educational programs and stimulating home environments, they said.

The company aims to raise awareness through public speaking events, packets for new parents of babies with Down syndrome, informational videos, community walks and runs and conferences. Its baby onesies already are carried in new parent packets in Wisconsin, Virginia, Minnesota, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland and California.

The couple also is hoping to help individuals with Down syndrome find employment. Currently, only 18 percent of adults ages 18 to 60 who have Down syndrome are in paid employment positions, according to Down Syndrome Footprint statistics.

In its online store, every 100 percent authentic Down Syndrome Footprint product is made or packaged by an individual with Down syndrome.

To help empower people with Down syndrome, Down Syndrome Footprint also has launched the "One Step at a Time Scholarship Program," which will provide scholarships to individuals pursuing post-secondary education.

"By raising awareness and providing educational opportunities, the company is positioning itself to be representative of the joys and challenges that accompany those whose lives are touched by Down syndrome," the Hausers said.

O'Brien can be reached at 715-830-5838, 800-236-7077 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

If You Go

Down Syndrome Footprint is hosting a golf tournament Thursday, Sept. 16 at Lake Wissota Golf Course, outside Chippewa Falls.

The driving range opens at 11 a.m., with registration and lunch at 11:15 a.m. The shotgun start is at noon, with a social hour and silent auction at 4:30 p.m., steak dinner at 5:30 p.m. and awards at 7 p.m.

Participants can register through Wednesday. The cost is $125 for a golfer's package, which includes 18 holes of golf, golf cart, skills contests with prizes, lunch and a steak dinner with a silent auction. The cost to attend the dinner and auction is $50.

The following sponsorship opportunities also are available: $600, one-player position; and $1,000, four-player position. Both include the golfer's package, signage at sponsored hole or event; and listing in the tournament program.

For more information, contact Tanya Husby at 715-308-8164 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .