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Rathbun Insurance Blog

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May Quotes for a Cause - Life as a Zebra Foundation

We are excited to run a monthly Quotes for a Cause campaign. Each month, our agency will be donating $5 per new business quote to a nonprofit or charitable organization, regardless of whether or not the policy is actually purchased.

This month for Quotes for a Cause, we partnered with Life as a Zebra Foundation and were able to present them with a check for $500! In medical school, students are taught to diagnose patients based on the condition that’s most likely. This idea goes along with the saying, “When you hear hoof beats, think horses, not zebras.” The “horses” are the likely diagnoses, while the “zebras” are less likely. A medical zebra, then, is a person with a difficult to diagnose, often invisible, medical condition. Life as a Zebra works to education, spread awareness , advocate and support those with invisible illnesses.

Nearly 50% of Americans have a chronic health condition. Of these, 96% of people have a condition that is "invisible," meaning they do not have visible signs or symptoms, or use an assistive device. As medical schools provide little education and training on diagnosing and treating chronic, invisible illnesses, Life as a Zebra works to provide that assistance. Of the millions of studies funded by the National Institute of Health, only a small percentage of them focus on rare, invisible illnesses.