I love this impromptu explanation, which came as a result of my reminding our son to wear jeans on February 28, in honor of Rare Disease Day. He doesn’t get the connection, and I suppose he’s right: How will wearing jeans help his brother, who has learning and developmental delays? Of course, it won’t help him directly, but it will help by spreading awareness, teaching, educating, and advocating. Wearing jeans today won’t do much to cure his brother’s episodes of severe anxiety or his uncontrollable meltdowns, but it might help to remind everyone that our genes make us who we are, and they make us special. And down the road, that might help your brother.

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The world is an ever-expanding place. A new discovery is made every day. We are subjected to what some may call information overload. Here is what we do know: 80% of babies with genetic diseases are born to parents with no known family history of that disease. We also know that education and awareness bring about powerful change. Today, we have harnessed the power of social media platforms to educate and reach those we could not before.

Click through to uncover the in-depth disscussion, expert insights, and valuable context that paint the complete picture. Check out the full story to see the entire article.

Click through to uncover the in-depth disscussion, expert insights, and valuable context that paint the complete picture. Check out the full story to see the entire article.

Click through to uncover the in-depth disscussion, expert insights, and valuable context that paint the complete picture. Check out the full story to see the entire article.

Tay-Sachs. Fragile X Syndrome. I vaguely remembered hearing about these genetic diseases in a high school biology classroom that smelled like glue, or over the buzz of a lecture hall at the University of Georgia, but I had never paid them much mind. While grave, they just seemed like ominous disorders that had little to do with me. I knew they were linked to Jewish ancestry, but this too was something I hadn’t given much thought to until I was a college student.

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A lot of people have bucket lists. I often see posts detailing friends achieving things on their lists. They might include a description and some pictures of their accomplishments. I never had a huge bucket list. When I was a child my bucket list was 2 items long.

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