Bobby's big smile: Viera man featured in Down syndrome video to air in Times Square

One look at Bobby Campbell's zillion-watt smile, his head tilted jauntily and his finger pointed at the camera in "Hey there!" style ... and you just know there's a story behind that photo waiting to be told.

Turns out there are countless stories. That grin has lit up throughout Brevard County, where Bobby, who has Down syndrome, bowls, dance, surfs and in general, lives large in a world full of challenges big and small.

This weekend, that smile is lighting up Broadway. Bobby, 34, a Viera resident, was one of 500 people whose photographs were chosen for a National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) video presentation to be broadcast in Times Square Sept. 9. It will air on two Jumbotrons above Dos Caminos restaurant in Father Duffy Square, and livestreamed on the NDSS Facebook page from 9:30-10:30 a.m. The one-hour video compilation, an annual event, includes photos of children, teens and adults from all 50 states, drawing about 2,400 entries from around the world this year. Along with Bobby, three children from Brevard, ages 1, 2, and 3, will be featured..

Organizers say the collective images "promote the value, acceptance, and inclusion of people with Down syndrome in a very visible way."

There seems to be no better representative of those attributes and goals than Bobby, who, with his mother, Debbie Jameson, tackles life head-on.

"It's such a great honor for him, being chosen for this video," said Debbie, who said she and Bobby will watch it from here in Florida given the complexities of traveling.

"I'm so proud of all his accomplishments."

Man of many interests

Bobby is largely non-verbal, communicating through what's called Makaton signing, which combines signs, symbols and speech and often finds Bobby making heart-shaped love signs with his forefingers and thumbs. His companion kitten, Max, sleeps with Bobby, with Max on the receiving end of hand-made hearts from the day the two met.

"It's like they have their own communication," Debbie said. "I've never seen anything quite like it."

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An avid athlete and Special Olympian at the county and state level, Bobby loves football (the Gators and Nebraska). Bowling. Pizza. Reruns of "Dennis the Menace," "The Brady Bunch" and "The Price is Right" with the late Bob Barker. Playing Rock Hero. Listening to music — Van Halen's a favorite — and his music therapy sessions. NASCAR: Bring on the 88. This guy's a Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan to the bone.

"Bobby's something else ... he becomes very vocal whether it's golf, or his favorite football team or NASCAR," Debbie said. "Let me tell you, I have to go in the other room. And I can tell when they're not doing well because I can hear him out there. He's a clown, and definitely lets you know what he's thinking."

As for Bobby's love for surfing: Well, let his mom tell that one.

"He'll be on the surfboard and I'll yell 'Up, up, up, up, up' to get him to stand up,'" said Debbie.

"So as he was surfing in county (competition) I heard him yelling 'Up, up, up, up, up.' I had said 'Bobby, if you stand up, we'll go on a Disney cruise, me and you.' He stood up every single wave. I said: Oh, no. Why did I not just say I'll take you to the mall?"

Mom and son: A dynamic duo

Their story isn't always pretty and it's not easy. There are days and stretches much rougher than others.

But as she talks about being the single mother of a child with Down syndrome, of finding resources and trials they've faced, it's reminiscent of a song written by Paul Williams and Ken Ascher and made famous by Helen Reddy, "You and Me Against the World."

"You and me against the world/Sometimes it seems like you and me against the world/When all the others turn their backs and walk away/You can count on me to stay."

One shared story changed both their lives, Debbie said.

Back on May 23, 1999, Bobby was featured in FLORIDA TODAY in a column by Pam Platt, who wrote about Bobby's experiences in a third-grade classroom at Ocean Breeze Elementary School in Indian Harbour Beach.

He'd had a hard time before being mainstreamed into that class, his mother said. He'd been bullied.

"He was very closed-off. Very shy. He had no friends," Debbie said.

But that year, life took a big, sweet, happy turn: "When he got in that classroom, man, oh man," Debbie said. "He just started smiling. The kids just took to him and after that, he smiled all the time."

Two classmates in particular took Bobby under their wing, Platt wrote.

"Matt Graham and Kevin Donahue paid special attention to their special friend, playing ball with him, sitting next to him on field trips, having lunch with him. When Matt and Kevin noticed that Bobby was intrigued by "Mighty Joe Young" at the school book fair, they pooled their money to buy Bobby a copy of the book and a poster to go with it."

Kevin Donahue lives in Orlando now, working as a land acquisition director for a self-storage developer.

A few months ago, Donahue said, he was "nostalgia-diving" at his mom's house when he came across a copy of that FLORIDA TODAY story. He read it; took a photo of it.

That classroom catharsis was a long time ago, he said. But as he talked, Donahue recalled snippets of what drew him and Matt to Bobby's side. Of walking Bobby home after school "to make sure he was safe," and being impressed by Bobby's extensive collection of video games.

"We really didn't see too much different about him," Donahue said. "We just saw that he needed a friend, and that was something we wanted to do for him. So we went up to him and started playing with him ... you know, the way kids do. Just playing with each other. And then we'd walk him home and play for a while, and then go home and do it again the next day."

Yes, there's a story, forever unfolding, behind that smile of Bobby's.

And Debbie Jameson is forever grateful.

For kind children who reached out to her boy.

For a story that meant the world to her little family at a tumultuous time.

And, always, for Bobby's smile.

Britt Kennerly is education/breaking news editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Kennerly at 321-917-4744 or bkennerly@floridatoday.com. X: @bybrittkennerly Facebook: /bybrittkennerly.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Go, Bobby! Viera man with Down syndrome chosen for Times Square video