Rare Disease Day is just over two weeks away, and we hope the resources we’ve shared so far have inspired you to recognize the day with a renewed excitement. In this message, we are covering ways to “Show Your Stripes.” Medical students are taught that hoofbeats mean horses, not zebras. The zebra is the unofficial mascot of Rare Disease Day as a reminder that sometimes zebras happen, and we wear our stripes with pride!
- Stripe out at home: print a lawn sign. Follow the link to download NORD’s “Rare Disease Day Community Playbook”. On page 11 is a link to print several different signs. The signs will also look great hanging in a window.
- #SHOWYOURSTRIPES online: you don’t need to be a professional influencer to follow NORD’s easy instructions for raising awareness on social media. Their toolkit has all the graphics you need, pre-written captions, and a suggested timeline of when to post.
- #LIGHTUPFORRARE at home: Find lightbulbs that match the Rare Disease Day colors below and use them to light up your house, inside and out. If you can’t find lightbulbs, you can use colorful window paint to create a message or work of art for all to see.
- Join the Light up for Rare Campaign by petitioning your local landmark, such as buildings, bridges, homes, businesses, stadiums, state capitol buildings, and other points of interest, to light up with the rare disease day colors on February 28th. The link includes a “Light Up Toolkit” and template letter to make the process easy.
We’d love to see your stripes! Please send pictures to info@apstype1.org.
