I’m Rebekah Britto, Mrs. Massachusetts Petite 2022, and I have both Chiari malformation and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). My rare disease journey began in 2013, when I started struggling with symptoms including passing out, vertigo, tinnitus, vision disturbances, and more. It took about a year of going back and forth between… Read More
I have five rare disorders: Chiari malformation, intracranial hypertension, chronic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), fibromyalgia, Hashimoto syndrome, along with a plethora of other illnesses. An infectious disease doctor once told me that I was a poster child for the medical field. However, my journey with rare disease began far before I was diagnosed in 2009.
Living with a rare disease makes you grateful for everything that most people take for granted. Four brain surgeries… Read More
2017 Honoree
Rare Impact Awards
Beth Nguyen, R.N.
Mother, wife, nurse, patient, advocate, and leader; Beth Nguyen wears multiple hats, and not one loosely.
In 2007, before she began to experience health problems, Beth had a job she loved as… Read More
Today, President Obama signed into law the 21st Century Cures Act, a game-changing bill for medical innovation. The bill includes many provisions that will improve the discovery, development, and delivery of orphan therapies for rare disease patients, including:
Senate Passes Landmark 21st Century Cures Act
Washington, D.C., December 7, 2016—Today, the United States Senate overwhelmingly approved the 21st Century Cures Act, a game-changer for medical innovation, by a bipartisan vote of 94-5. The President is expected to… Read More
