Thursday was Rare Disease Day and the Knoxville Community School District staff and students wore stripes and the color orange to support those with rare diseases, including Kindergarten student Kendrick.

The zebra is considered the official mascot of rare diseases and the commemorative event falls on the rarest day of the year, which is leap day. Approximately 25 million Americans are living with a rare disease, according to the National Institute of Health. Included in that number is Knoxville Kindergarten student Kendrick, who has Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS), a rare disease. Symptoms of PWS include unending appetite, weak muscle tone, learning disabilities, and behavioral challenges, affecting 350,000 people worldwide. To show support for Kendrick, who is in Mrs. Galeazzi’s Kindergarten class, the district showed up in orange on Thursday. 

For more information about Kendrick and PWS scan the QR code.