If one eye’s brown and one eye’s blue, this day is for you

Thursday was “National Different Colored Eyes Day” and at least one Central Texas family was included in the annual observance of a rare condition called Waardenburg Syndrome that causes changes in the coloring of the hair, skin and eyes.

Drew Snyder, his twin daughters Ella and Aubrey, 7, and son Everett, 4, all have the syndrome.

Drew and daughter Ella each have a crystal blue left eye and a brown right eye.

Son Everett has the same combination only reversed and also has a blue streak in his left eye.

Aubrey has the same blue streak, although her eyes appear mostly brown in photographs.

The rare condition can also cause hearing loss.

Ella is completely deaf, but has cochlear implants to help her hear.

Aubrey and her father are both deaf in one ear.

Everett does not have hearing problems.

Waardenburg syndrome affects about 1 in 42,000 people and research shows that those with it have a 50 percent chance of passing it on to their children.

But Drew said he’s never seen an entire family with it.

“Genetics are a crazy thing,” he said.