ABILENE, Texas (KTAB) – The Abilene Zoo joined zoos across the world to bring families dealing with a genetic issue.

22q is a chromosome deletion, or sometimes a duplication, like Down Syndrome. Children born with 22q will experience any number of 180 different symptoms. It’s an under-diagnosed syndrome, and the 22q at the Zoo event helps bring awareness to the issue, and supports the families who have a loved one with the problem.

“They may have somebody in their family that has had medical problems. That’s a suggestion to them to possibly get tested for that.”, says 22q parent Sarah Knerr. “If they test positive for it, then hopefully we’ve helped one person out.”

The worldwide zoo event is one way to bring the larger 22q family closer together, and the families meet up for a statewide retreat each year.