San Benito High School put on its first Orange Out Day on Oct. 30 to spread awareness about the rare disorder called Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia. Also known as Immotile Ciliary Syndrome, PCD is a rare, recessive genetic disorder that causes a defect in the action of the cilia lining the respiratory tract. Students wore orange in order to show support toward those affected with this disease, including the son of the day’s organizer.
English teacher Balena Lominario’s zero period students came up with this idea to help raise awareness about PCD on campus. Lominario decided to create Orange Out Day because October was the awareness month for it. Lominario said the participation showed her that people do care and it warmed her heart. “It was a very moving, personal connection because my son also has PCD, ” she said, noting that her son, who has the disorder, felt surprised that so many people showed support without even knowing him.
Senior Benjamin Elias said, “I think it was a very unique way to spread awareness about this rare disease. I personally did not know about this disease at all and now I am informed more about it.” He also said he hopes this keeps continuing throughout the years.
Sophomore Fatima Frausto said, “I really liked the idea of having an Orange Out Day. It really shows the support to those who can relate to it in any way and it lets them know we are here for them.”
People with PCD aren’t so different than others. Lominario’s son is still very active and people are shocked when they found out he had PCD. Since he is involved in sports, that keeps him healthier than those who are not as active as him.
Lominario said she loved how supportive the teachers and students were about this event. She wants people to become more aware about this disease because it will allow more funding for a cure. “We need a cure and right now there is 20,000 people who have it, but only about 500 have been diagnosed,” she said.
Lominario said she hopes Orange Out Day becomes as big as Pink Out Day, which raises awareness about breast cancer, and that she is thankful that so many students and teachers showed their support. She wants to keep this event alive at SBHS. “This is something that will be worth doing again,” she said.