PKS Kids of the World
We donated shirts 0 to 0 to children in need here.
Children with Pallister-Killian Syndrome and their families gathered for a conference in New Jersey and took home a Be A Number shirt of their own.
"PKS Kids was fortunate to meet Kevin Hershock and Be A Number in June 2010. When I say fortunate, I mean more than the obvious reason. Yes, kids affected by Pallister-Killian Syndrome who attended the conference all received one of Kevin's awesome Be A Number shirts, but also, we got to hear from Kevin about Be A Number. Kevin is one of the most inspirational young men I've met. He has his head in on straight and his heart in the right place. He has vision and drive. He cares. He wants to and succeeds in making a difference. Our children (those with PKS) are well-loved by family and friends, but all these children have great delays, some wear hearing aids and glasses, a handful walk and communicate. Those with disabilities (any disability!) are frequently made fun of by others. They are often considered less than deserving, and are quite regularly judged. Kevin saw all our kids as simply children. No, he didn't overlook the handicaps they face, but he realizes we all have handicaps in our own way and refuses to accept that any child think they are unimportant or do not have someone to love them. As parents of children who aren't typical, we struggle a lot to do what's right and what's needed for our children. We fight for their rights and we want people to love them, just as they are. Kevin and Be A Number did all that for us. Thank you, Kevin."
-- Gretchen Peters, Secretary of PKS Kids
According to PKS Kids, a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading awareness of the syndrome, Pallister-Killian Syndrome "happens randomly and for no known reason. It is thought that there are under 200 diagnosed cases of PKS in the world, however doctors at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia believe that the incidence of PKS is much higher! They feel there may be as many as 2,000 cases in the United States alone. So why aren't these numbers reflected? It is likely that there may be this many cases, but they are going undiagnosed."
Children with PKS often experience symptoms such as:
- Low muscle tone
- Facial features such as high forehead, broad nasal bridge, wide space between the eyes
- Cognitive and developmental delays. Althought most PKS children have these delays, many children are only mildly handicapped
- High, arched palate
Check out their website for more information about PKS here.
