Anyone walking in the hallways of Salisbury Middle School Feb. 29 would have noticed something special, something deeply rooted in the social fabric of this school: the motto “I Believe” on sweatshirts and T-shirts worn by both students and staff.

The last day of February is recognized worldwide as Rare Disease Day, and with this year being a Leap Year, even more attention was focused on what this day means.

It is estimated over 300 million people around the world suffer from a rare disease, according to organizations such as Eurordis who work in this field. Eurordis is a European-based organization focused on spreading awareness on the realities faced by individuals suffering from diseases with no cure in sight.

In 2008, Eurordis joined forces with 65 similar organizations around the world to form Rare Disease Day, observed the last day of February. According to their statistics, over 600 million events were scheduled worldwide for Feb. 29 across 106 countries.

For SMS, this day holds a special meaning. As The Press reported last year, the greater SMS family has supported the Recke family for years. Adam, son of SMS Technical Education teacher Sean Recke, has Niemann-Pick Type C, a rare terminal disease.

Adam will be turning 25 in a few days and continues to face the realities of the disease head-on, gathering strength from family and SMS’s continued support. This is something for which his father is grateful.

“It is incredibly awesome the show of support that the faculty, staff and students continue to share for Adam and my family, especially on Rare Disease Day (Feb. 29),” Recke said. “Niemann-Pick Type C Disease (often called Childhood Alzheimer’s) is one of the very rare diseases affecting about 300 people in the USA.”

“Adam has been part of a clinical trial with a medication called Cyclodextrin. The delivery method is through a spinal tap. He will receive his 170th spinal tap March 11 at Yale Medical Center in Connecticut. Adam has been so tough and a trooper through his entire life. He was diagnosed at the age of 6 and was not expected to live into his teens. We are so excited to share that Adam will turn 25 on March 25,” Recke said.

Recke explained what defines a rare disease.

“A rare disease is a disease or condition that affects fewer than 200,000 Americans,” Recke said. “NPC is an ultra rare disease affecting only 300 in the USA. Cumulatively, there are more than 10,000 rare diseases affecting more than 30 million Americans.”

For Recke’s students, it is important to get involved in this cause and raise awareness. In this case, it is a special connection to their teacher, a way to give back.

“I wore this sweatshirt to acknowledge the fact that Mr. Recke comes and teaches us everyday even though he has a hard life at home,” student Anna Kelley told The Press.

Classmate Gia Olds echoed the sentiment, saying, “I think it was important to wear this sweatshirt to support Mr. Recke because he is going through a lot, between his home and school life. We need to give him as much support as we can at school.”

Carly Cline believes it’s important to get the message out, not only about Adam’s fight, but about others who suffer from rare diseases. “I feel it’s important to support people who have rare diseases because sometimes it’s just not treatable.” The importance of getting that message out is something she has learned from Recke, a life lesson outside the classroom.

Jarrod Blunt and Gabe Gnall consider Recke a role model for perseverance.

“The school very much cares for Mr. Recke,” Blunt said. Gnall added, “Mr. Recke is one of the hardest working members of the faculty at this school.”

In a few months, there will be a special event to help raise funds toward finding a cure for Niemann-Pick Type C1 should anyone in Salisbury wish to get involved.

“We continue to raise funds for research to try and find a cure for this horrible disease ...” Recke said. “Our golf tournament is Sept. 14 at Whitetail Golf Club. Come out and see Adam putt for a cure. Please follow us at?www.RaceForAdam.org.”