Our journey to the rare disease community was somewhat lengthy, as it is for many families. The day my son Rowan was born we knew something was wrong, but it took 21 extremely long months of back-to-back testing to simply give… Read More
I’m as “normal” as anyone else. I look completely “normal” (besides being in an orthopedic brace), I act completely “normal,” and my life is completely “normal”. I have been married for 40 years and have two adult children and three grandchildren. I have worked with my husband in his private optometry practice for 20 years and help with the daily care of our 11-year-old grandson. My life is full, happy, active and busy – as “normal” as I may… 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
I was five years old, excitedly cheering on my mother at her softball game at City Park ball fields in Fort Collins, Colorado. She hit the ball and I jumped and cheered with the others in the bleachers. Then, my life changed. I slipped and fell through the bleachers…. Read More
I have been diagnosed with a rare chronic genetic disease called partial trisomy 8Q duplication syndrome since birth and I was also recently diagnosed with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). My life has been full of challenges, and I want to bring awareness to what I go through so that anyone… Read More
