Will to Walk to benefit medical funds for two Wylie children

Hundreds of Wylie ISD employees, students, parents and community members are expected to take part in the upcoming Will to Walk 5K/One Mile Fun Run/Walk, benefiting the medical funds of five-year-old William Henry Smith III and three-year-old Addison Roland, both of Wylie.

The 5K cross country course will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 21 at Wylie Stadium, 2550 W. FM 544 in Wylie.

Will Smith has Phelan-McDermid Syndrome/22q13 Deletion Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder with specific developmental and physical features. It the result of the loss or deletion of a small amount of genetic material from chromosome 22. Fewer than 400 people worldwide have been diagnosed with this syndrome.

Will is the son of BJ and Lajuana Smith, who are both teachers in the Wylie ISD. BJ is a teacher and coach at Wylie East High School; Lajuana is a teacher at Hartman Elementary School.

Addison Roland has been diagnosed with a rare, unnamed genetic disorder in which her genetic rearrangement produces partial trisomy of the short arm of chromosome 5 with a portion of chromosome 20. At this time, there is no data to support the translocation of these two chromosomes; however, similar genetic disorders have shown delays in development similar to Addison’s.

Addison is the daughter of Emanuel and Jennifer Roland. Emanuel is a teacher/coach at Wylie East High School and Jennifer is the assistant athletic director for Wylie ISD.

For more information, contact Beth Smith at 972-429-2400 or visit wylieisd.net.

Registration information here.

Information provided by Wylie ISD.

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  Addison Roland, genetic disorder, Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, Will Smith, Will to Walk, Wylie, Wylie ISD