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Once Upon A Gene

Once Upon A Gene

True stories of raising rare kiddos

All Episodes

SCN8A Rare Mom – The Inch Stone Project and DEE-P Connections – Creating Better Tools, Resources and Research for the Most Severely Affected Families with Gabi Conecker

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 190 SCN8A Rare Mom - The Inch Stone Project and DEE-P Connections - Creating Better Tools, Resources and Research for the Most Severely Affected Families with Gabi Conecker Gabi Conecker is an incredible advocate who has worked in the rare disease space for over 10 years. She's accomplished a lot, all while caring for her for her son Elliot with SCN8A and a severe variant of epilepsy.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Where does your rare disease journey begin? My son Elliot was diagnosed with SCN8A in 2014, and there were only about ten known cases in the world. We founded Wishes for Elliot as a way of doing something when nothing was being done. It has evolved into the International SCN8A Alliance and we are focused on research, advancing the field, providing resources and supporting families.  What is DEE and DEE-P? Developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs), is a hard to control form of epilepsy that cannot be treated with the drugs currently on the market, accompanied by developmental delays and/or regression. Developmental Epileptic Encephalopathy-Project (DEE-P) was formed to break through the isolation families face while researching their children's symptoms and challenges, to facilitate connections and share critical resources with families facing similar challenges. What is the Inchstone Project? The Inchstone Project is a multidisciplinary group of consumers, stakeholders, researchers and clinicians collaborating to accelerate outcome measures development. We came together to address an unmet need and to identify and develop tools to measure patient response to therapies. Our goal is to release a survey soon around head control so we can begin measuring and capturing data. We will continue to test and adapt the tools in preparation for clinical trials.  How can parents and other patient advocacy groups get involved? Visit our website and get in touch with me. For the Inchstone Project, we want to get as many families involved as possible so that when we're developing tools, your voice is heard and you can ensure your child is included.  LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED 2023 CTNNB1 Natural History Study, Family Meeting, and Research Conference https://www.curectnnb1.org/research/research-conference/ Wishes for Elliot https://www.wishesforelliott.com/ International SCN8A Alliance https://scn8aalliance.org/ SCN8A Unraveled https://scn8aalliance.org/scn8a-unraveled/ DEE-P Connections https://deepconnections.net/resource-center-main/ Inchstone Project https://deepconnections.net/inchstone-project/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
June 8, 2023
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Developing Personalized Therapeutics for Ultra Rare Patients with La Jolla Labs CEO Jeff Milton

by Once Upon A Gene
June 1, 2023
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How Being a Mom to Twins with a Rare and Undiagnosed Condition Has Shaped Rare Mom, Scientist and Co-Founder of the MAST Genes Research Foundation with Dr. Kim Aldinger

by Once Upon A Gene
May 25, 2023
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Effisode – Are We The Actors

Intro Music Credits: Title: Storybook Author: Scott Holmes https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/inspiring-background-music Source: Free Music Archive https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/inspiring-background-music Licence: CC BY-NC https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
by Once Upon A Gene
May 23, 2023
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A Rare Collection – Keep Digging

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 187 A Rare Collection - Keep Digging There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Angela, Mom to Yiannis with IRF2BPL, a neurodegenerative disorder When Yiannis was born on a Saturday evening in July 2020, we knew immediately that something wasn't right. He was whisked away to the NICU and nobody could tell us what was happening. Yiannis was in the NICU for more than two weeks without answers. After 18 months, a neurologist started to piece the puzzle together. Through whole exome sequencing, we found Yiannis had two ultra rare fatal progressive neurodegenerative disorders, IRF2BPL and LSM1. We started a foundation, Yellow for Yiannis, to be a leading resource forIRF2BPL funding and for the support of other families that are enduring this disease. Katie, Mom to Beau with KIF1A, a neurodegenerative disorder  On December 17th, 2021, just shy of a month after his second birthday, our son was diagnosed with KIF1A, a super rare genetic condition that affects about 400 people in the world. We had a healthy, happy pregnancy leading to a pretty uncomplicated birth. Beau  met all of his milestones and he was a healthy baby. When discrepancies in his communication, social skills, gross motor and fine motor skills developed, Beau was diagnosed with KIF1A through genetic testing. I encourage any parents who don't feel okay with a diagnosis to keep digging and keep pushing for the safety of your child.  Dana, Sister to Jason and Sean with BCAP31  After years of genetic testing, it was revealed that my brothers Jason, age 21, and Sean, age 18, were both missing six pairs of their x chromosome. There's no cure for what my brothers have. They're the oldest documented case and most families I've met since have received a diagnosis for their kids around 3 years old. It was at that age when my mom noticed that Jason wasn't hitting his milestones. Kelly, Mom to Emma with dopamine transporter deficiency syndrome (DTDS) When my daughter was 2 months old, I started noticing she was missing milestones. I sought out a complex care pediatrician who started running tests and lab work. Emma received a cerebral palsy diagnosis, but I couldn't accept this diagnosis and sought out other opinions. After a genetic panel on neurotransmitters a genetic counselor revealed the real diagnosis- dopamine transporter deficiency syndrome. Had we settled for the CP diagnosis, we wouldn't have known that our daughter's life expectancy was only late adolescence or that a gene therapy clinical trial will be available.  CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
May 18, 2023
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The Tréxō Robot and the Many Benefits of this Technology for Kids with Disabilities with the Founder and CEO Manmeet Maggu

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 186 The Tréxō Robot and the Many Benefits of this Technology for Kids with Disabilities with the Founder and CEO Manmeet Maggu Manmeet Maggu is the Founder & CEO of Tréxō Robotics. Manmeet’s commitment to helping children with cerebral palsy walk drove the vision for Tréxō. An engineer and MBA by training, Manmeet has previously worked in several technical and project management roles before inventing a device called Tréxō, a robotic walker used in therapy programs. He joins me on this episode for a deep dive into the device.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS What is the origin of your vision for the Tréxō device? I have a background in robotics, but the history of Tréxō begins when I found out my nephew was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and learned he wouldn't be able to walk. I convinced my friends to help build a prototype for my nephew to help him walk. We worked hard, flew the device to India to try it with my nephew and it didn't work. We made a few more changes and tried again and it allowed him to take a few steps, which proved technology could be a bridge to improving access in his life. Other families started inquiring about getting a Tréxō for their child and that's when the company was born, with the goal of enabling walking for any child that wished to do so.  How does the Tréxō work? The Tréxō is designed around an existing walker called a Rifton Dynamic Pacer. The Rifton is the base support structure and we design the robotic legs that attach onto the Rifton. The Rifton provides support and the legs provide the power to walk. Full control is in the hands of the parent or caretaker, operated by a tablet interface. There are different modes for each child's needs and abilities. Sensors on the device detect the user's initiation, if they're helping or resisting and where in the gait they're helping. There are a lot of features built into the system which allows for the maximum potential benefit from physical therapy, walking and exercise.  How do families obtain a Tréxō for home use? If you want to buy the Tréxō, it costs $35K-$40K, but it can also be leased for around $1K per month on a 12 month lease. Many families use fundraisers, grants or Make-A-Wish. We are starting to get some insurance coverage as well. Families can look at the fundraising and grant resources on our website. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Fundraising and Grant Resources https://www.trexorobotics.com/category/resources/ Tréxō Robotics Website https://www.trexorobotics.com/ Wish-to-Walk https://www.trexorobotics.com/make-a-wish-and-trexo-robotics/ Find a clinical location with a Tréxō https://www.trexorobotics.com/trexo-locations/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
May 11, 2023
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The Outlet – How Chris Anselmo Used Writing to Connect with Other Rare Disease Families and Come to Terms with His Own Diagnosis of Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 185 The Outlet - How Chris Anselmo Used Writing to Connect with Other Rare Disease Families and Come to Terms with His Own Diagnosis of Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Chris Anselmo is an avid writer and communicator living with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, which has undoubtedly contributed to how adaptable, resilient and compassionate he is.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS What has your diagnosis journey been like since the onset of symptoms? I have Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2B and I was diagnosed at 18 years old as a result of a car accident my senior year of high school. I was getting ready to be discharged from the hospital when a doctor said routine blood work revealed my creatine kinase levels were elevated and they thought I may have suffered an internal injury they weren't aware of. With more x-rays, they couldn't find anything internally, but they sent me for further testing. I was eventually diagnosed with Dysferlinopathy, was told I wouldn't have any symptoms and that I would be fine so long as I didn't do anything incredibly strenuous. A few years later, I started developing symptoms and began to think it was the disease I had been diagnosed with years before. I saw a neurologist and received confirmation that the disease was progressing earlier than expected. How did the reality of your diagnosis impact you? I expected the symptoms to come much later in life, not when they did. It was a lot to handle the magnitude of the diagnosis and also the time of life that I was in, in my early twenties, living with college friends. I could imagine my friends advancing in life and their careers, getting married and having kids, buying homes and traveling, and my day-to-day was consumed with abilities I was losing.  I didn't reach out for help and I should have. I didn't handle it well and I wasn't the best version of myself. I was in a dark place and felt frustrated, jealous and stuck.  What helped to change your perspective and help you connect with community? Writing for me is like what exercise is for others. It was the outlet I needed and it had become something that has helped me to process my emotions. Writing became therapy and also helped people close to me to understand what I was going through, more honestly than what I would share in conversation. What I went through was traumatic and difficult and it was important to have an outlet, to understand what was happening in a way that allowed me to take control and share my story. Writing has also helped me to connect with other people who I have things in common with.  LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 183 - Wishing Well https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-183-wishing-well Born a Hero Foundation https://www.bornahero.org/ Rare Disease Fair https://rarediseasefair.com/ The Muscular Dystrophy Association https://www.mda.org/ Rare Disease Dadvocate Blog https://rarediseasedad.com/ Sidewalks and Stairwells https://sidewalksandstairwells.com/ Hello, Adversity https://helloadversity.substack.com/ To the Boy Who Stared at Me After I Fell on My Crutches - The Mighty https://themighty.com/topic/dysferlinopathy/to-the-boy-who-stared-at-me-after-i-fell-on-my-crutches/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
May 4, 2023
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More of Everything – How I Became a Better Parent to My Child With Extreme Special Needs By Lifting My Emotional Burdens With SYNGAP1 Mom – Janie Reade

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 184 More of Everything - How I Became a Better Parent to My Child With Extreme Special Needs By Lifting My Emotional Burdens With SYNGAP1 Mom - Janie Reade Janie Reade is an author and mom to three adult sons, one with a severe neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a mutation in the SYNGAP1 gene. We'll talk about her unique perspective as a parent and also about her book, More of Everything: How I Became a Better Parent to My Child with Extreme Special Needs by Lifting My Emotional Burdens. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Tell us about yourself and your family. I am married with three adult sons. Joey is our second child and he lives in a group home. When he was younger, he wasn't developing as he should and started biting his hand. When he was little, he wasn't hurting himself, but as he aged stress made biting worse and there was little I could do to help. After he went to a group home, he stopped biting a couple days later.  Can you talk about your book? The goal of the book was to show who I am and how I think. The first portion of the book is a series of vignettes starting at age four, going through age 21. At the end of each is a looking back section where I summarize about that time and a lesson section about my takeaways. I also talk later in the book about acceptance and frustration. Finally, I talk about parent coaching, which is what I do. Growing up with Joey, did either of your other two sons grow up and go into a compassionate-led career? No, but they're both very compassionate and emotionally-aware people. My oldest son volunteered as a peer counselor when he was in high school. It was a way for him to talk to people and help them through problems. He has a very emotionally deep soul. My youngest son has always been very inclusive and a connector of people. After Joey moved and I was very sad, my oldest son told me that our family was a group project and that, just like in a group project, we had to do what was best for everyone. How did you find community support and what did it change for you? I tried support groups and they weren't a good fit due to the severe intellectual disability my son has. When he was younger, I was told he would catch up, so I didn't fit in an intellectual disability group either. I didn't find people for a long time.  LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED The Two Disabled Dudes Podcast - Episode 215 – Birthday Parties Can Be Tough https://twodisableddudes.com/215-birthday-parties-can-be-tough-with-guest-host-effie-parks/ The Disorder Channel https://www.thedisordercollection.com/ Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Agility-Unstuck-Embrace-Change/dp/1592409490 More of Everything: How I Became a Better Parent to My Child with Extreme Special Needs by Lifting My Emotional Burdens https://www.amazon.com/More-Everything-extreme-special-emotional-ebook/dp/B0BQ2C7HNL Janie Reade Website https://janiereade.com/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
April 27, 2023
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A Rare Collection – Wishing Well

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 183 A Rare Collection - Wishing Well There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Wendy Erler It's my privilege to work in patient advocacy within the rare disease community. The people who have come into my life have impacted me, people have opened their hearts and shared vulnerable moments, fears and wishes. Over the last 20 years, my work has immersed me in rigorous science, clinical research, data and people driven to help patients and find treatments for rare diseases. But it's the families and parents who have fueled me to do more and champion their voices everyday. A wishing well is a term from European folklore, describing wells where spoken wishes are granted. When I asked an 11 year old boy, who lost his ability to walk, what he wished for, he wished to hold a spoon and feed himself so his mom could eat her own dinner. The power of wishing is fundamental in the rare disease community and we can all learn from the families that have boundless optimism and resilience.  Tom D’Amato I work in patient advocacy and I'm a rare dad. The rare journey has been isolating, confusing and has led to some dark days. I found through therapy and working in the rare disease community that you can control your reactions and response in emergency mode. You can control how you care for yourself, your child and your spouse. I wish to never forget to never forget the beauty that comes from this journey. As I stand in front of the wishing well, reflecting on my wish for my family and the rest of the rare disease community, I wish to embrace the strength, wisdom and happiness that comes from this journey.  Sophia Cacciatore I have the best job in the world where I get to meet the most incredible people with the fiercest minds and hearts. I get to build bridges and break down walls to make a little magic. I'm a space-maker. Just like Snow White singing in the wishing well, I will always be an echoing voice for families. I will echo all of your wishes until they roar so loudly that your wishes are answered.  CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
April 20, 2023
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Effisode – The Ultimate Rare Disease Resource Guide

Intro Music: Title: Storybook Author: Scott Holmes https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/inspiring-background-music Source: Free Music Archive https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/inspiring-background-music Licence: CC BY-NC https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
by Once Upon A Gene
April 18, 2023
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Doctor and Rare Disease Dad Is On A Mission to Accelerate Research and Drug Development Efforts for His Childs KCNT1 Epilepsy with Dadvocate Dr. Justin West

by Once Upon A Gene
April 14, 2023
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Helping Undiagnosed Patients Who Experience Symptoms of Rare Diseases Find Answers with Free Genetic Testing in a Matter of Weeks with Probably Genetic CEO Lukas Lange

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 181 Helping Undiagnosed Patients Who Experience Symptoms of Rare Diseases Find Answers with Free Genetic Testing in a Matter of Weeks with Probably Genetic CEO Lukas Lange Lukas Lange is the CEO and Founder of Probably Genetic. They seek to give genetic testing to families who are experiencing symptoms of a rare genetic disorder. Go to probablygenetic.com, fill out a survey, and see if you qualify for a free genetic test so we can get more patients diagnosed who have been in buckets and under umbrellas for too long. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS What led you to specialize in rare disease? I became fascinated by genetics, knew it was a field I wanted to be involved in and two professors I worked with were rare disease icons. One of them built the 100,000 Genomes Project, which is the largest rare disease study on the planet.  How was Probably Genetic born?  When I was working on the 100,000 Genomes Project as a PhD student, I needed patients' phenotypes in a structured format so I could figure out what was causing their disease when I analyzed their genome. The idea I had was that if we could develop an algorithm, we could flag undiagnosed patients and share that insight with their doctor for further testing. With re-energized inspiration from a parent, our core idea shifted to develop phenotype technology which parents or patients would contribute to, and couple that with a telemedicine genetic testing service so undiagnosed patients receive a test kit and subsequent clinical lab report to share with their provider.  Can you talk about the first survey on autism? The mission of the company is to diagnose 200 million rare genetic disease patients. We think there are about 40 million people on the planet who have a rare disease, and at least 50% of them aren't diagnosed. There are many rare diseases for which autism is part of the phenotype, but there's a large underdiagnosis rate. Children with an autism diagnosis often don't have genetic testing, but for a lot of conditions that present with autism symptoms, we have a good chance at finding rare disease through testing.  What is the most rewarding aspect of starting Probably Genetic? It's really hard to build the type of technology and service we're building. It requires raising a lot of money, recruiting really smart people, and understanding compliance constraints so that you can make the service safe for people. It took a long time and took a real toll on my personal mental health also. We eventually got to this point where, as a team, we had a huge sense of accomplishment realizing we made a difference in a life based on this crazy idea we had. In this particular case, this patient had an ultra rare mitochondrial disorder that comes with very severe muscle weakness where patients lose their ability to breathe independently. This person saw an ad for our service on Facebook while they were hospitalized on a ventilator. It was bittersweet-- the sweet side of it being that we were able to find this person, get them an answer and get them a clinical lab report. It was great proof of concept for us, but also unbelievable that no one initiated genetic testing for this patient before then. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Seattle Rare Disease Fair & Summit 2023 Registration https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/14aefca977cd43548885a2d1b4f1f2d5 100,000 Genomes Project https://www.genomicsengland.co.uk/initiatives/100000-genomes-project The Disorder Channel https://www.thedisordercollection.com/ Probably Genetic https://www.probablygenetic.com/ Email Lukas [email protected] CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
April 6, 2023
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Effisode – There’s No Crying In Baseball

Intro music: Title: Storybook Author: Scott Holmes https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/inspiring-background-music Source: Free Music Archive https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/inspiring-background-music Licence: CC BY-NC https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
by Once Upon A Gene
April 4, 2023
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Patients and Caregivers Being Compensated to Tell Their Stories and Get Connected to Research Opportunities with Rare Patient Voice Founder Wes Michael

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 180 Patients and Caregivers Being Compensated to Tell Their Stories and Get Connected to Research Opportunities with Rare Patient Voice Founder Wes Michael Wes Michael is the Founder of Rare Patient Voice, which connects families and caregivers of rare and non-rare diseases with opportunities to share their stories and their opinions with companies and researchers by participating in all types of studies— surveys, phone interviews, bulletin boards, focus groups, clinical trials, and more.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell our friends listening a little about what you do?  I started a company called Rare Patient Voice almost 10 years ago now. What we do is  invite patients and caregivers to take part in studies, phone or Zoom interviews, online surveys, or online focus groups for our clients, who typically are working on behalf of the pharma companies, device companies or academics. They want to know what patients are thinking and patients are compensated for their participation, currently at a rate of $100 / hour. We go out to patient events, walks, conferences and fundraisers and invite them to join. When we get a request that matches their condition or disease  category, we'll send them an email and we serve as the matchmaker.  What inspired you to start Rare Patient Voice?  My background was not in healthcare. I was involved in market research for Wheaties and Cheerios. But then I moved into the healthcare field 30 or so years ago, and I was very excited because companies there were just learning to talk to patients. They started advertising drugs directly to the patients on TV. We were contacted by a company that was in the rare disease space— they worked in hemophilia. They explained there were very few patients, but they were very important to them and they wanted to learn from them through surveys and interviews. We were asked to build a panel, so we went to the National Hemophilia Foundation, had a booth and table, we talked to people and asked if they were interested in sharing their opinions. A couple years later, we were approached by a different company that also worked in hemophilia and they also wanted to access the patient panel. It got me thinking about creating a group of people that could be invited to studies for numerous companies and include different conditions and diseases. Now we represent 750+ diseases.  Do you help guide patients and caregivers from the beginning to help them tell their story?  Our clients are the moderators and they'll prep people and make sure they're comfortable. To prepare for an interview, you just bring your opinions. You don't have to do any special studying or research. The key is to be honest because you don't have to impress anybody. They just want to know the truth.  How can listeners sign up? People can sign up on the website by providing specific information which is kept confidential. They'll get a double opt-in email and it's as simple as that. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Rare Patient Voice Website https://rarepatientvoice.com/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
March 30, 2023
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Take Part Founders and PYROXD-1 Parents – Matt and Maria Granados

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 179 Take Part Founders and PYROXD-1 Parents - Matt and Maria Granados Matt and Maria Granados are the parents of 4-year-old Natalie, who suffers from a rare form of muscular dystrophy called PYROXD-1. They are the founders of the Take Part Foundation which helps to fund research for rare pediatric conditions.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves and your family? We are a family of four, almost five, with one on the way. Natalie is our oldest daughter and she has a very rare form of muscular dystrophy that is labeled by the gene called PYROXD-1. She has a little brother named Ziggy who just turned four. And I am pregnant with the next little brother. Matt and I have been married for almost eight years. We are entrepreneurs at heart, so we have owned our own businesses for quite some time. We started a foundation for our daughter when we found there wasn't much known about her condition, and we wanted to know more and do all we could. Can you tell us a little bit about PYROXD-1?  To describe Natalie's condition, gravity is her worst enemy. She has complete movement, but can't stand, can't sit herself up and can't roll herself over. Nat's condition as a whole is a genetic mutation that's causing her muscles not to act the way they should. Very little is known about the PYROXD-1 gene, so much of the research our foundation funds is for Nat's gene. We're also focused on providing more genetic testing for people who can't afford it.  What was the initial funding focus and the first step you took that inspired the foundation?  When we were given the dollar amount that they needed, we knew we could help raise the money.  When you're a parent of a child with a rare condition, you're hyper-focused on just their condition, so we never considered so many other people affected by rare disorders. When we realized that rare wasn't all that rare, we started thinking about how we could help more people. When we started Take Part, we also started Warrior Page to help parents tell their story no matter their technical background. We can't fund every single rare condition, but Warrior Pages can help every parent and it's completely free on our website.  What do families do and how do they take advantage of Take Part as a resource? Our mission is to take existing medical research that's in infant stages, aimed at rare pediatric diseases, and we help fund it until it gets to the point where other major funding organizations can get involved. A huge part of what we do is to provide resources for families and parents to tell their story. We came up with these three ways that people can take part. If you're listening to this and you have a kid with a rare condition, go to our website and create a Warrior Page. If you don't have a rare condition, but know someone who does, share this resource with that family. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Take Part Foundation https://take-part.org/ Warrior Page  https://take-part.org/warrior/ Life Date Guide  (use code ONCEUPONAGENE) https://www.lifepulseinc.com/personal-resources/lifedate/ Life Pulse Planner  (use code WARRIORFAM)* https://www.lifepulseinc.com/personal-resources/the-executive-lp-planner/ *Email [email protected] with the subject ONCE UPON A GENE for planner tips TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
March 23, 2023
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Effisode – Wheelchairs and Walls

Intro music by Scott Holmes Title: Storybook Author: Scott Holmes https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/inspiring-background-music Source: Free Music Archive https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/inspiring-background-music Licence: CC BY-NC https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
by Once Upon A Gene
March 21, 2023
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A Rare Collection – Exhausted and Energized

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 178 A Rare Collection - Exhausted and Energized There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Annie Kennedy, Rare disease advocate with the EveryLife Foundation I have a quote in my office that says "she took her power back without permission". As I stood in the back of the legislative conference during Rare Disease Week, the opening speaker asked a room full of more than 600 advocates to, by a show of hands, show who was in Washington for the very first time for Rare Disease Week to advocate on Capitol Hill. I realized that more than 50% of the room was raising their hands and I immediately thought of that quote. More than 50% of that room was taking their power back for the very first time. That was exhilarating. There were many other exhilarating moments throughout the week. While the week was absolutely exhausting, full of meetings, documentary screenings and conferences, it was exhilarating. More than 600 advocates traveled and came together for an exhilarating week during Rare Disease Week, advocated together and shared stories. We took our power back and changed the rare disease landscape forever. Sarita Edwards, Rare mama and co-founder of The E.WE Foundation Our son, Elijah, was diagnosed in utero with the rare disease Edwards Syndrome, or Trisomy 18. Events like Rare Disease Week are important to me because it's an opportunity to raise awareness about Elijah's diagnosis and champion legislation we believe can help families like ours. Several weeks ago, I celebrated Rare Disease Week, alongside 600 rare disease advocates and 300 patient organizations in Washington, DC. To say I was energized is an understatement. The days were long and full of content and conversations, and though I was energized, I was also exhausted. I was exhausted watching advocates push themselves to limits on behalf of the rare community. It was exhausting walking from building to building, speaking with legislators who are in charge of the decisions that affect our day-to-day lives. I was exhausted thinking about how much we believe all of this makes a difference, and hopeful it actually does. Exhaustion is the evidence of my energy being used properly. I was exhausted, but I'm energized and I'm just getting started as a rare disease advocate.  Abbey Hauser, Ehlers-Danlos patient and Rare Disease Advocate and Board Member with Team Telomere There were two versions of me that existed in Washington, DC last week. There was the excited, engaged, educated and enthusiastic patient advocate. There was also the rare disease patient who laid alone on their hotel room floor at the end of each night, taking extra pain medications, hoping that the next day would go better for their body. Both versions are equal and valid to my story, yet most people only see the excited and engaged advocate that I am. I know the quiet moments that I laid on my hotel room floor are part of what makes me such a powerful patient advocate. I left Washington, DC exhausted beyond words and my body was pushed to its limits. Being a patient is hard, but being energized is worth the exhaustion. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED The E.WE Foundation https://theewefoundation.org/about/ Team Telomere https://teamtelomere.org/ EveryLife Foundation https://everylifefoundation.org/ CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
March 16, 2023
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Real Rare Mama Shop Talk – Deciding What We Share About Our Lives and Recognizing How Far We’ve Come with Each Passing Year with Alyssa Poskarbiewicz CHARGE Syndrome Mom

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 177 Real Rare Mama Shop Talk - Deciding What We Share About Our Lives and Recognizing How Far We've Come with Each Passing Year with Alyssa Poskarbiewicz CHARGE Syndrome Mom Alyssa Poskarbiewicz is a mom to a daughter Lenny, who has CHARGE syndrome. I actually got to meet her in person last spring and she's beautiful inside and out. I think you'll enjoy our conversation, but also go on to listen to all the past Once Upon a Gene episodes, especially the once-monthly storytelling episodes, which Alyssa has contributed to. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS What are your concerns and how do you decide what to share about Lenny online? It's personal for everybody. There are times that I feel a need to share personally and times when I pull back. Interestingly, people will often reach out when I'm not sharing to make sure everything is okay. I wasn't someone to share personal things before, but I needed a different level of support and this journey looked different than it did when I had my first child. I didn't have friends with children in the NICU or born with serious medical concerns. I didn't know anyone with a personal experience with a rare genetic disease. I used social media to seek out resources, podcasts and communities, which has been helpful to me and allowed me to open up more.  How do you move through situations or moments when people make comments that bother you? This is a practice and it takes time to get here. I started trauma and processing therapy last fall and I've found it to be tremendously helpful because I was very easily triggered by hurtful comments before. I have made a lot of progress in letting comments slide, but I'm still working towards this practice that really depends on whether or not I'm in a good place and how my daughter is doing at the time. Sometimes I can brush things off and sometimes things strike me and I need to vent and talk through my feelings.  Can you talk more about the type of trauma therapy you do and what you've taken away from it? When we were in the NICU, we were assigned a therapist and I first connected with her. She would come in casually to talk through the diagnosis and things coming up in the hospital. She would also come in to talk with us at subsequent hospital stays. She recommended trauma therapy to me, so I found a therapist. We started with EMDR- reprocessing because I was experiencing a lot of PTSD. We did several sessions of EMDR, which I found to be helpful. Then we moved on to general processing, talking through things, processing emotions and moving forward. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 139 - Remember Who You Are https://effieparks.com/podcast/139-remember-who-you-are Courageous Parents Network https://courageousparentsnetwork.org/ Emotional Agility: Get Unstuck, Embrace Change, and Thrive in Work and Life https://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Agility-Unstuck-Embrace-Change/dp/1592409490 TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
March 9, 2023
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Love, Hope and Cure SYNGAP

Background music by: Title: Living Life Author: Scott Holmes https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/inspiring-background-music Source: Free Music Archive https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes/inspiring-background-music Licence: CC BY-NC https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
by Once Upon A Gene
February 28, 2023
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Every Patient Matters – Discovering, Developing, and Providing Experimental ASO Treatments to Nano-Rare Patients for Free with n-Lorem Founder and CEO Stan Crooke

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 175 Every Patient Matters - Discovering, Developing, and Providing Experimental ASO Treatments to Nano-Rare Patients for Free with n-Lorem Founder and CEO Stan Crooke Stan Crooke is the Founder and CEO of the n-Lorem Foundation. He's also the Founder and former CEO of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, the leader in RNA-targeted therapeutics. Under his leadership at Ionis, he pioneered development of the revolutionary antisense technology platform and created one of the largest, most advanced pipelines in the biotechnology industry. His foundation is now using this technology to discover, develop and provide personalized, experimental antisense oligonucleotide medicines to nano-rare patients for free, for life.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS What do you do at n-Lorem? With antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), we design chemically modified pieces of genetic information and those pieces of genetic information allow us to target a specific RNA, which is the molecule that gets transcribed from your DNA to make the protein that makes cells work. Because we now understand that code very well, and because we have a lot of experience, we can be very rational, efficient and inexpensive compared to traditional drug development. In a nano-rare patient, a patient with a unique mutation in a single gene, we begin with this incredible advantage. We can create a genetic medicine for many of these genes and mutations and do that very rapidly and inexpensively and provide medicines for free to patients. What criteria does a family need to meet to become a n-Lorem candidate? The patient has to have a disease with a mutation that is present in no more than 30 patients in the world. By definition, our patients are truly unique and extremely rare. Patients also have to be genotypically and phenotypically characterized fully. A patient has to have a qualified research physician who can do all the work to understand what's wrong with the patient and then treat the patient with an experimental medicine after we make it.  How are some of your patients doing on the drug created for them?  The first patient that was treated with a personalized ASO that we were involved in was an 18 year old German named Anna who has a rare form of ALS. It manifests itself typically in early teens, and untreated is extremely rapidly fatal. Anna was desperately ill when the ASO treatment was started and we weren't sure if we'd even get the ASO to her before in enough time. She recovered and did remarkably well. She's now walking up multiple flights of stairs on her own with no ventilator. She has a speaking tube so her mom can hear her talk for the first time in almost three years. She's also planning to go to school. Anna even wrote a personal note to me, and for a patient with ALS to have the fine motor coordination to do that is really quite astonishing.  Where do you think we're going be in 5 to 10 years with personalized medicine? We look forward to being able to treat thousands of patients, which means we'll also be learning incredible amounts from each of these patients. We are committed to sharing what we learn and we'll have our first annual meeting of investigators, patients, and parents this year. As we learn more, then I think there will be more interest in this space, and as we create a model of quality, others can follow. I hope that as n-Lorem succeeds, we serve as a model for others to follow, and we drive policy changes that will enable more people, more technologies and more organizations to come to the aid of patients who are unserved. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED https://www.mi-reporter.com/opinion/show-your-stripes-to-honor-rare-disease-day-on-feb-28/ https://www.nlorem.org/ https://www.ionispharma.com/ https://twodisableddudes.com/ https://www.ultragenyx.com/rare-entrepreneur-bootcamp/ https://open.spotify.com/episode/14RO0pNneHdpYxSqEzk1l7
by Once Upon A Gene
February 23, 2023
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Effisode – Rare Disease Day Events

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
February 22, 2023
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A Rare Collection – To the Moon and Back

by Once Upon A Gene
February 16, 2023
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Honoring a Husbands Legacy by Finishing His Work on a Documentary About Rare Disease Acute Flaccid Myelitis and Her Own Grief Along the Way with Sarah Potter

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 173 Honoring a Husband’s Legacy by Finishing His Work on a Documentary About Rare Disease Acute Flaccid Myelitis and Her Own Grief Along the Way with Sarah Potter Sarah Potter's husband Scott got sick and passed away while he was in the middle of creating a documentary about a rare disease called Acute Flaccid Myelitis and the families affected by it. Sarah has immersed herself into film making to finish Scott's documentary, all while working through her grief. The film is called When The Lotus Blooms and it will be released in Fall 2023. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about your rare disease and grief journey? My husband was working on a film about a rare disease called Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM), sharing the stories of affected families not having answers about the cause or treatment. We experienced something similar when my husband had a medical event and was hospitalized for several months before we lost him in July 2020. Because he was so passionate, I knew the story had to continue to be told. It's been a wonderful way for me to honor his legacy and do the good in the rare disease community that he set out to do.  What is your husband's connection to the AFM community? He was active in our local live storytelling community where there were monthly storytelling events and that's where he met a professor with an expertise in epidemiology. When she learned my husband was a filmmaker, she approached him with a story of a mom in her network who had a little boy with AFM and she asked for his thoughts on how to create a film to make an impact and create change around the disease. He was hooked and worked for the better part of a year to gain funding and do research before the filming began. How does your grief align with families in the rare disease community? There are a lot of parallels and I have the ability to connect with them, understanding what it's like to be going along with your day-to-day and suddenly something changes in a split second that your world is different.  What advice do you have for families who want to make a film? If you have a desire to tell your story, think about your takeaway, audience, how you want them to feel and what you want them to do. Everyone in the rare disease community has two elements of a wonderful story-- something unique and something inspiring. If you have an engaged patient advocacy community, I would recommend crowdfunding to fund the film production. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Sarah Potter on Twitter https://mobile.twitter.com/storyofthelotus/with_replies How to Carry What Can't Be Fixed: A Journal for Grief https://www.amazon.com/How-Carry-What-Cant-Fixed/dp/1683643704 It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand https://www.amazon.com/Its-That-Youre-Not-Understand/dp/1622039076/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr= Megan Devine on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/refugeingrief Megan Devine on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/refugeingrief/ Becky Sansbury on Twitter https://twitter.com/AftrTheShock After the Shock: Getting You Back On the Road to Resilience When Crisis Hits You Head On https://www.amazon.com/After-Shock-Getting-Resilience-Crisis/dp/0692447571 The Rare Disease Film Festival  https://www.rarediseasefilmfestival.com/ Follow the AFM Documentary  https://afmfilm.com CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
February 9, 2023
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Effisode – Barbara Is Real

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
February 7, 2023
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From Cancer Biologist to Rare Disease Mom – Digging Into the Data to Better Understand SCN8A with Madeleine Oudin PhD – Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 172 From Cancer Biologist to Rare Disease Mom - Digging Into the Data to Better Understand SCN8A with Madeleine Oudin PhD - Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Tufts Madeleine Oudin is a scientist and Tiampo Family Assistant Professor at Tufts University. Her daughter Margo has two de novo mutations in the SCN8A gene, which causes epilepsy. She's navigating life as a rare, working mom and sharing her knowledge in an understandable and accessible way for other rare parents.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about the epilepsy conference you just attended? The SCN8 community organizes the conference for clinicians, researchers and families every year at the American Epilepsy Society meeting. There were over 35 families in attendance who have children with SCN8A and it was amazing to meet everyone in real life. What advice do you have for parents who aren't sure about attending a conference? Meeting other people has made a big difference for me and I encourage others to find their people. Going to gatherings can lead to finding resources and there's value in connecting to others and learning more about a disease. Community is everything. As a scientist and now a rare parent, how do you look through the microscope differently? The impact of genetic testing surprised me in how vital it is when it comes to rare genetic diseases. When Margo had her first seizure and had genetic testing, the results helped to connect us to community. Genetic testing is vital for families to connect them to resources. What work have you done in the SCN8A community to help other families understand the disease and advance the treatment progress? Science communication is something I'm passionate about. Since becoming a rare mom, I started an Instagram account where I explain the science of the diagnosis and break it down so the information is accessible to everyone. I recently did a webinar breaking down the different treatment strategies for SCN8A.  Can you talk about Margo's acceptance to n-Lorem? We applied with our neurologist and were accepted into the foundation to develop custom Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) treatments. In parallel, we're doing treatments in my lab on a mouse and mouse cells, testing out different ASOs to see if we can gain any additional insights. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 139 - Remember Who You Are https://effieparks.com/podcast/139-remember-who-you-are Margot_thebrave on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/margot_thebrave/ SCN8A Alliance   https://scn8aalliance.org/ American Epilepsy Society https://www.ilae.org/ The n-lorem Foundation https://www.nlorem.org/ SCN8A Unraveled https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-RngxzecxdLsaJFQyerqqfGLarDe9MUt TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
February 2, 2023
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Never Give Up – Two Decades of Struggles From Diagnosing Their Children to Starting a Clinical Trial For Aspartylglucosaminuria with Rare Mom Julia Taravella

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 171 Never Give Up - Two Decades of Struggles From Diagnosing Their Children to Starting a Clinical Trial For Aspartylglucosaminuria with Rare Mom Julia Taravella Julia Taravella is a mom to two adult children, Alexander and Daniel, and she's the founder of the Rare Trait Hope Fund. Julia's sons didn't have a diagnosis for 16 years until she went above and beyond to seek out answers and use the genetic data available to her to reveal a diagnosis of Aspartylglucosaminuria (AGU), a rare, fatal, lysosomal storage disorder.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about your sons and their diagnosis journey? Alexander and Daniel are 22 and 27. In kindergarten and first grade, Daniel was doing below average. Daniel was 5 years old when his brother Alexander was born. Alexander started early intervention, but started to have the same delays as Daniel. Having two children presenting the same developmental delays, I suspected it was genetic, but it was difficult to get genetic testing at that time. I sought consultations with physicians and specialists, the boys underwent testing, and all results revealed they were within the expected range. A direct-to-consumer genetic test came out on the market and I bought two of them for my husband and I, figuring there may be something uncovered through our DNA. We went on to test both kids and close relatives too and the results were inconclusive. I dug deeper by downloading all of the data from the testing website and went back to doctors with it, but I wasn't taken seriously. I found a person in bioinformatics who agreed to analyze and clean up the data. When the data was returned, I took genetics classes for 6 months, wrote a program to analyze the data and determined my sons had AGU. The diagnosis was confirmed by doctors through further blood and urine testing. What did you do after getting a diagnosis?  I attended a conference and connected with new families with other glycoprotein lysosomal diseases and it helped to meet them. I had hope that something could be done and I frantically started writing emails to anyone I could find in the published AGU literature. I wrote about 200 emails and through those emails I connected with a Finnish doctor who invited me to go to Finland to meet with her. We stopped in Germany on the way and connected with a biochemist to discuss potential treatment options.  What should everyone watch out for when developing gene therapy programs? It's important to have a signed sponsorship agreement about how research and funding is handled without knowing what you'll get in return. Take small steps and don't invest everything you've raised at once to test if you'll receive the results you want within the time frame you've set. Step-by-step developments will help develop a rapport with your researcher to develop trust and gain understanding about where funding goes. Also be sure to understand who is working on what and maintain open lines of communication with everyone. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Rare Trait Hope Fund https://www.raretrait.com/ 23andMe https://www.23andme.com/ ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 154 - A Groundbreaking Gene Therapy In Record Time to Cure His Son with SPG50 Sets a New Course For Future Rare Disease Treatments with Terry Pirovalakis https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-154-terry-pirovolakis-groundbreaking-gene-therapy CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
January 26, 2023
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Effisode – Seizures Are Stupid

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
January 24, 2023
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A Rare Collection – New Beginnings

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 170 A Rare Collection - New Beginnings There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Noelle When your child has a progressive, degenerative disease, you learn that every moment is precious and to roll with the punches. My son Logan has a rare genetic disorder called Sanfilippo Syndrome, a progressive and fatal disorder that causes mental and physical deterioration. Children lose the ability to perform skills such as walking, talking and swallowing. There's not currently a treatment or cure. The day Logan was diagnosed, I learned life doesn't always go as planned. The picture perfect future planned in my head was gone. I grieved my child and the future I thought we would have. I was scared of the new future and I closed myself off emotionally. I can't change what the future holds for Logan, but I don't want to miss up on feeling the love, joy, and even the sadness that comes along with this new beginning. I live in the moment and when something goes wrong in life, I yell "plot twist" and move on.  Frances In Emily Rapp Black's memoir, The Still Point of the Turning World, she describes parents of terminally ill children as dragon parents. Like medieval map makers inscribing unknown regions of the world, we represent a parent's worst fear- the grief of receiving a death sentence for their child. My daughter Violet passed all of her newborn screenings in the hospital, but I soon became concerned with how sleepy she was and how difficult she was to feed. Our pediatrician referred us to a neurologist who ordered a brain ultrasound and genetic testing, but the results didn't offer any answers. With more symptoms developing, I sought out more opinions and Violet was finally diagnosed with a rare and fatal mitochondrial disease called pyruvate dehydrogenase complex deficiency (PDCD). My transition and new beginning as a dragon mom had already begun as I flew around every last corner of the internet hunting for answers, ready to breathe fire upon anyone who tried to harm my daughter. Violet is a powerful unicorn teacher and I am her fierce and loyal dragon. Patrick My son Calum has rare chromosome abnormalities. His first seizure was scary and opened a chapter full of new beginnings. As his dad, this chapter taught me to be grateful and to have a perspective that allows me to celebrate every moment I can. Calum's first seizure was an awakening. I realized that I needed more opportunities and experiences with my kids and to focus more on them and less on myself and my work. We celebrate every day like the new day it is and Calum has given me that perspective. CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
January 19, 2023
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Happiness Is Meant to Be Shared with Author, Storyteller, and NEMO Dadvocate Andrés Treviño

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 169 Happiness Is Meant to Be Shared with Author, Storyteller, and NEMO dadvocate Andrés Treviño Andrés Treviño is a dadvocate, author and storyteller. His story is full of twists and turns and even moving across countries to save his child. I had the pleasure of meeting him in person at the Global Genes Patient Advocacy Summit and I'm thrilled that you get to meet him too, because happiness is meant to be shared. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us where your story begins? Andy and Sophia are the reason I got into advocacy. Andy was born in Mexico City with a condition called NEMO in 1999. Within 48 hours of birth, he developed a life-threatening infection and he wasn't able to fight the infection without IV antibiotics. My wife and I quickly became experts in extreme parenting, living in the hospital for almost 1000 days with Andy, battling infections of his nervous system, bones, GI tract, sinus and skin. We found a hopeful solution in moving to Boston. In Mexico City, we received a diagnosis of bad luck, but after a couple months at Boston Children's Hospital, we got a real diagnosis and real answers. In 2004, our daughter Sophia was born. Cells were gathered from her umbilical cord and at a couple months old, additional blood was taken from her bone marrow. The bone marrow and umbilical cord stem cells were used in a complex procedure to replace Andy's affected cells.  How are Andy and Sophia now? Andy is 23 and graduating college in December. He is studying Communications. Sophia just recently started college. They have a very special bond. We also have a third daughter Tanya who is 13 and a blessing.  What motivated your decision to do the work you're doing? My career was originally in professional communications, but after what we lived through, I wanted to help others facing similar situations and facing rare disease. I get to meet so many people in the rare disease community that inspire me with their resiliency.  What are your tips for someone who wants to tell their story? Think of six words that explain your story, like "happiness is meant to be shared", which is what I use to share my story. This gives you a starting point. Canned stories, or those that are read from a script, doesn't convey a story told from the heart. A raw story is sharing something very difficult and emotional which makes listeners feel bad for you, but it doesn't leave them compelled to do something. A well-told story is crafted, moments are selected to connect with the audience and practiced instead of read. Positive stories move people and make others feel hope.  LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED The Disorder Channel https://www.thedisordercollection.com/ Andy & Sofia: Stem cells, scientific miracles and one fit savior https://www.amazon.com/Andy-Sofia-scientific-miracles-savior/dp/0615422373 Living Proof Advocacy  https://www.livingproofadvocacy.com/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
January 12, 2023
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Effisode – The Friendship Circle

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
January 10, 2023
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Being Brave, Curious and Motivated to Help Make a Difference with DLG4 Research Mama Payal Patel

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 168 Being Brave, Curious and Motivated to Help Make a Difference with DLG4 Research Mama Payal Patel I met Payal Patel at the 2022 Global Genes Patient Advocacy Summit. She's digging in and getting things done, she really impresses me and you have to meet her. You'll definitely be seeing more of this rare mom.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS What led up to your attendance at the Global Genes conference last year? My daughter was diagnosed with a rare disease in July 2022. I had just met another mom whose child had a mutation on the same gene and she mentioned the Global Genes conference. I decided to go, but upon arrival, I felt really out of place not knowing anyone there. I didn't know what to do and I wasn't confident in putting myself out there to network. I told my husband that I was going to fly home and he convinced me to stay and see what happened, and I'm glad I stayed. It was a magical three days of networking, learning and meeting mentors.  How did you find the courage to go to the Global Genes summit after getting a diagnosis only a couple months earlier? When I got the diagnosis, I wasn't in a good head space, but the idea of doing nothing scared me more than taking the leap of going to the conference. It was a good starting point to go and see what others were doing for their kids and it was the best decision I made. I made so many connections with rare disease advocates that have helped me to get to where I am.  How did you teach yourself about DLG4 and determine your next steps? A month after diagnosis, I shared the information within my network on Facebook and asked for help. I asked specifically for scientists, doctors and geneticists to help and so many people stepped up. A friend invited me to visit her in the lab to explain the science around how proteins work. Another friend who is a genetics counselor met with me. I attended the Global Genes summit, but I also kept researching and figuring out what to do next. I read blogs, listen to podcasts, talk to patient advocacy groups, network and ask questions.  What are you planning for right now? I feel strongly after talking to doctors and patient advocacy groups, that I want to do a drug repurposing screen for our gene. I'm taking things one step at a time-- the most obvious is a drug repurposing screen that isn't going to cost an amount of money I can't raise and it'll be impactful in the short-term for anyone impacted by DLG4. Looking at the big picture, my confidence takes a hit, so I'm taking things one day at a time, understanding that I can't control the variables of the future. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 094 - The 12 Commandments to guide you when you're starting a rare disease patient advocacy group. With Nasha Fitter and Mike Graglia https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-094-mike-and-nasha Save the Date for the 2023 RARE Patient Advocacy Summit https://globalgenes.org/event/rare-patient-advocacy-summit/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
January 5, 2023
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Care Team Prescription – The Importance of Clinical Pharmacists with Chase Palmer

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 167 Care Team Prescription - The Importance of Clinical Pharmacists with Chase Palmer Chase Palmer is a pharmacist on the board of Alström Syndrome International. In rare disease, we need all the help we can get, and he's motivated and he's jumped right in to share his voice. He’s been dubbed the rare disease pharmacist– and I think it’s going to stick.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you introduce yourself and tell us how you became involved in rare disease as a pharmacist? In 2020 I started working with a nonprofit called Alström Syndrome International. We work with persons living with Alström syndrome, which is a rare genetic disorder that affects almost every cell and organ in the body, starting with blindness and deafness and leading to major organ failure. I was approached by ASI to become a member of the board and began meeting with patients living with rare disorders. I've been trying to learn more and more as time goes on to hopefully treat and cure Alström syndrome and other rare disorders.  What does it mean to practice as a clinical pharmacist? A clinical pharmacist is a hospital pharmacist or a pharmacist with a specialty. Some clinical pharmacists work in a specialization like cardio or infectious disease. They work with patients in a hospital, acute care setting or ambulatory care setting to monitor medications and understand side effects and interactions to provide the best quality of life possible. What approach can pharmacists be in helping to manage the care of kids with rare disease? For patients taking multiple medications, I think it's important to have a pharmacist on the care team who is monitoring drug interactions to ensure medications aren't negatively affecting organs and making sure they're safe and effective, making things better and not worse.  Do you have any advice for getting drugs covered by insurance companies? Insurance can be a major barrier and they may require patients to try alternative medications first. If that happens, make sure the insurance company's preferred medication is going to have the same positive result and not have any interactions with other medications or side effects. Sometimes a doctor can submit a pre-authorization and get medications covered that way.  Do you recommend that patient advocacy groups connect with pharmacists as board consultants? I think it's a good idea to have a pharmacist on the board and it can be really progressive and allows for multi-disciplinary care for rare diseases and genetic disorders. A pharmacist can help to manage medications, consult with other advocacy groups and other pharmacists and optimize care. I think they play an important role in moving rare disease forward and meeting the needs of patients. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Alström Syndrome International https://www.alstrom.org/ Voices of the People - The Alström Syndrome Journey https://vimeo.com/770936312 TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
December 29, 2022
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Effisode – Rare Disease Day 2023

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
December 27, 2022
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A Focus On Patient Advocacy – Participation In Research and the Importance of an Engaged Patient Advocacy Group with Wendy Kay Chung, MD

by Once Upon A Gene
December 22, 2022
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A Rare Collection – Holiday Cheer

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 165 A Rare Collection - Holiday Cheer There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Jessica Johnson I love holiday cookies, parties, and gift-giving, but my best source of holiday cheer is my son. He is the definition of festive and his excitement is infectious, inspiring feelings of cheer and joy. While he and I spent the day decorating our new Christmas tree, I was reminded of what's truly important during the holidays-- being with my family, seeing my son filled with pure joy and happiness despite his challenges. The holidays can bring about stress, anxiety and sadness for many families. For those families finding themselves in a hard season, remember you're not alone and it will get better. However small or insignificant, define your own holiday cheer. Ed Gabler Growing up, the holidays meant a real tree in the corner of the living room, tied to each wall so the cats wouldn't knock it over. My dad read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to all of us kids and on New Year's Eve. After my children were born, my wife and I started new traditions. Now as a grandparent, we share traditions with our daughter's family, but it looks a little different. Our grandson Cole was diagnosed with SYNGAP1 and making holiday cheer has required some adaptations and improvising. Cole's mom and dad created traditions to include everyone. They focus on the small wins, the smiles and laughs Cole shares when he's happy or excited. Rare holiday cheer is special.  Anthony Royal  As far back as I can remember, the holidays have never been a joyous occasion for me. In South Carolina, the holidays were warm-- no fluffy, white snow or kids speeding downhill on sleds. As a kid with un-diagnosed ADHD and anxiety, having more family around meant more people around to be mad at me for something. I was never keen on Santa either. My wife goes all out on decorations with five Christmas trees in the house, lights, holidays signs and swag along the halls. My son also loves the holidays. He has CTNNB1 syndrome with symptoms that make life difficult for him, many of which have only added to my holiday depression in the past years. My son's excitement for the holidays has helped me to love them again. You could say my heart has grown three sizes since he was born. CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
December 15, 2022
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Effisode – Presents, Portraits and Beyond the Diagnosis

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
December 13, 2022
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The Clinical Pharmacist – Why They Are A VIP For Our Care Team and How We Can Get to Know Them – With NARS1 Rare Disease Mom – Rachel Heilmann

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 164 The Clinical Pharmacist - Why They Are A VIP For Our Care Team and How We Can Get to Know Them - With NARS1 Rare Disease Mom - Rachel Heilmann Rachel Heilmann is a rare mom and founder of The Rory Belle Foundation, which was started in honor of her daughter who had NARS1. She's also a clinical pharmacist on a mission to make a difference for our kids and advocate for palliative care for rare families. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about yourself and your family? In my past life, I was a clinical pharmacy specialist. My daughter Rory Belle was born in October 2019 and she was hospitalized for failure to thrive. She was 8 months old when she was diagnosed with NARS1. My daughter passed away in February 2021 from NARS1.  What is a clinical pharmacist? A clinical pharmacist is someone who works alongside care providers to help improve the care for patients. I was residency trained after pharmacy school to gain extra skills and expertise to practice to my fullest potential and to work with physicians and nursing partners to administer care.  How do we as parents get you on our team? Inquire to see if there is a clinical pharmacist or clinical pharmacy specialist available at your facility to refer you to so you can ask any questions you have. When it comes to consent, what can be leveraged? Consent is the golden seal of documentation when understanding your risks and benefits and providing protection for a prescriber and parents. I always tried to outline for the prescriber the benefit and risks of a medication for a patient to make conversations easier between the prescriber and the patient. As a parent, if you have documentation for drug repurposing, provide that data and ask the prescriber what the concerns are and open up the conversation so that you can balance benefits and risks. And if needed, ask if there's a clinical pharmacist available to add to the conversation. How do we create awareness and make this a standard of care to have a clinical pharmacist on our team? I think the first thing is to ask for the resource when you're at appointments. I'd like to see more legislative efforts. There are states that leverage their pharmacies to work under protocol that allows them to practice more freely. With the pipeline of therapies coming out, like gene therapy and repurposing with FDA labeling, these things need to be handled in a deliberate fashion. If you keep asking, people will start partnering.  What advice do you have for families? The most important takeaways are not to take no for an answer and ask your doctor to connect you with a clinical pharmacy specialist if you need help pushing conversations forward. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED The Rory Belle Foundation https://www.therorybellefoundation.org/ Varient App https://www.varientapp.com/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
December 8, 2022
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How Far We’ve Come – A Look at the FOXG1 Research and Family Conference with Rare Mama and Co Founder Nicole Johnson

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 163 How Far We've Come - A Look at the FOXG1 Research and Family Conference with Rare Mama and Co Founder Nicole Johnson FOXG1 Research Foundation Co-Founder and rare mom, Nicole Johnson, shares takeaways from the November FOXG1 Syndrome Science Symposium & Parents Conference.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about your daughter Josie and about starting the FOXG1 Foundation? Josie is 11 years old and she is the cutest little girl. She's amazing in that she has FOXG1 syndrome and can't do much, and yet she's the happiest, most joyful little girl and I feel blessed to have her in my world. My mission is to give Josie and every child with FOXG1 syndrome the healthy life they deserve. On the diagnostic journey, I was blogging and that's how I met Nasha Fitter after her daughter was diagnosed. We teamed up with other FOXG1 parents across the world and formed the FOXG1 Research Foundation in 2017.  What were your top highlights and takeaways from the FOXG1 Syndrome Science Symposium & Parents Conference? We hosted two conferences in one and the first was a science symposium where scientists from all over the world met privately in Florida to present their data. I couldn't believe how much science was underway. Seeing how far we've come on the science-front was really incredible, as was the promising data that was uncovered. It was clear that this isn't a job for the scientists involved-- they are invested in helping all children with FOXG1 to live a life without suffering. The parent's conference was a blend of clinicians, scientists and FOXG1 parents that all came together to learn from each other-- to connect, learn and inspire. There was a lot of information and a lot of inspiration. What advice do you have for patient advocacy leaders in motivating their caregiver and patient population to better understand their disease, get involved and participate in fundraising? There's a lot we want to say to parents to communicate the work that's being done to improve their children's lives, but it's a challenge because people see things quickly and go on about their day. My best advice is to let the work speak for you. For anyone starting or running a patient organization, it is hard to reach your whole community and convince your whole community to get involved, but the more work you do, the more parents will see the work that's being done.  What advice do you have for advocacy leaders who want to hold a conference? If you're thinking about doing it, absolutely do it. We were able to get sponsors which allowed us to do a travel scholarship and that helped parents to come, removing the burden of cost. When we were deciding on a venue, we looked at where the majority of the families lived and chose a place that doubled as a vacation. I recommend choosing a vacation-type location that adds an extra level of enjoyment.  LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED FOXG1 Foundation https://foxg1research.org/ ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 094 - The 12 Commandments to guide you when you're starting a rare disease patient advocacy group with Nasha Fitter and Mike Graglia https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-094-mike-and-nasha ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 047 - Ciitizen - Take Control of Your Own Medical Records and Advance Research with Nasha Fitter https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-47-ciitizen-nasha-fitter Ciitizen https://www.ciitizen.com/ Josie's Journey Blog https://josiedevin.blogspot.com/ Pam Skillman https://foxg1research.org/resources Nikki McIntosh https://raremamas.com/ Dr. Allyson Berent https://cureangelman.org/about-fast Race to 100K https://foxg1research.kindful.com/foxg1-awareness-2022 FOXG1 Research Foundation YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@FOXG1Research/videos Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
December 1, 2022
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Effisode – Fire and Ice

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
November 29, 2022
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Your Career and Personal Life Collide – Senior Vice President, Head of Development and Safety of Alexion, AstraZeneca and Smith Magenis Rare Disease Dad Gianluca Pirozzi

Shownotes to follow
by Once Upon A Gene
November 24, 2022
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A Rare Collection – Beep, Beep, Beep

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 161 A Rare Collection - Beep Beep Beep There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Brittany Stineman Emergency vehicles headed towards us and the sound of the vehicles coming to save my child's life played on repeat. The tears were different this time. They were tears of joy, gratitude and hope. Nash was born with an ultra-rare genetic condition called SMARD1. He was 11 months old when he was diagnosed, with a life expectancy of only 13 months and there were no treatments. No option was not an option. We started a non-profit called SmashSMARD and we focused on developing a treatment for SMARD1. We celebrated Nash's third birthday in a major way. The same emergency responders who have saved his life on multiple occasions joined the birthday parade celebrating a milestone we never imagined we'd reach.  Matt Hay In elementary school, the nurse conducted hearing tests in class. Each student took a turn wearing the headphones while the nurse turned several knobs, and each would raise a hand a dozen or so times to acknowledge they heard the beeps. When it was my turn, she only played a few beeps, or so I thought. Later in high school, I applied to the United States Military Academy. During the physical, the doctor played the familiar tones, scribbled some notes in my file and said the Army would be sending me a letter to explain what I needed to know. When the letter arrived, I learned that I failed my physical due to substandard auditory acuity and I wasn't qualified to serve in the Army. A few years into college, I could no longer hear well enough to use the phone. When I saw an audiologist, I was referred to a neurologist and MRI results revealed I had bilateral acoustic neuromas on my hearing nerves. I was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2), a rare neurological disorder.  Erin Reoyo Beep, beep, beep sounds the familiar driver of the garbage truck right outside my son's room. She looks for him in the window, but he's not there to wave and cheer as she picks up the bins. I know how much my son adores the garbage truck driver and it's clear she adores him too. She doesn't know he lives with a rare, catastrophic epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome. I've never shared my son's story with the driver. Perhaps I want to spare her the worry and grief that comes with caring for someone with Dravet Syndrome.  Amanda Griffith Atkins When you were three years old, your backpack was bigger than you as you went up the steep stairs of the big yellow bus, off to your first day at preschool. Your school was equipped to care for kids with disabilities and you were safe with teachers that understood your disability. There was a lot to celebrate, but I lost something that day realizing our safe and quiet days at home were over. I waited eagerly at the end of the school day, listening for the beep-beep of the bus, and I ran out to take you into my arms. Can you believe it was ten years ago when you first stepped onto the bus? A lot has changed since then and you're nearly as tall as me now. Although your disability will never allow you to live on your own, the bus represents freedom and independence, taking you to your own world of friends, teachers and staff who love and celebrate you. CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
November 17, 2022
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Effisode – The List

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
November 15, 2022
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A Mom’s Advocacy For Her Son Who Has Hemophilia B Led to Her Own Diagnosis – With Stormy Johnson

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 160 A Mom's Advocacy For Her Son Who Has Hemophilia B Led to Her Own Diagnosis - With Stormy Johnson Stormy Johnson has a son diagnosed with hemophilia. She was told she was just a carrier for the disorder. This assumption, born from the fact that mostly men are diagnosed with hemophilia, meant she didn't have answers for symptoms that were plaguing her. Other hemophilia patients encouraged her to dig deeper, which led to an even tougher road of being seen by medical professionals. Stormy is storming the castle to let everyone know that women are in fact more than carriers- she's an advocate doing great work for women with bleeding disorders.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you share your son's diagnosis journey? When I was young, I was aware of my male cousins with something wrong with their blood, but that's all I knew. When my son was three, he had his tonsils removed and he had complications in recovery that led to emergency surgery. Initially doctors thought maybe he had a bleeding disorder, but he was released after a few days. A couple months later, he had blood in his urine that I attributed to a kidney blockage he had recently had. At a pediatrician's appointment, she recalled a patient with a bleeding disorder and she thought it was a good idea to check into things further. After my son was diagnosed, I realized what my cousins had was also hemophilia and that it affected others in my family as well- male and female. How did you find out you also had Hemophilia B?  When I would lose molars as a kid, I would bleed a lot. I also bruised easily. I had a laparoscopy when I was 18, which required a blood transfusion. There were always signs, but it was never questioned. After my son was diagnosed, I had testing done and took the results to the treatment center my son went to and I was referred. I was 47 when I got diagnosed.  What has motivated you to become an advocate? I found my voice at just the right time. I was terrified of speaking or talking to doctors, but I've learned so much through my experiences. Advocating is from my heart and it's not about me. Everything I do is for the community and it's been an amazing journey for me and my family.  What is your advice for women or even girls who may be listening and need tips for advocating for themselves and their healthcare concerns? It's very important to keep good notes and record everything. Speak to parents, siblings and family members who can shed light on childhood health matters or other family health history. Most importantly, don't give up. Fire your doctor and find another doctor. There's always someone out there who will fight with you, you just have to find them. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Portraits of Progress https://www.portraitsofprogress.com/ Bad Blood https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1773294/ BloodStream Media https://www.bloodstreammedia.com/ Remember the Girls https://rememberthegirls.org/ Sisterhood for Women Who Bleed on Facebook Group https://m.facebook.com/groups/235001807617544 Sisterhood for Women Who Bleed on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/vwd_hemo_sisterhood/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
November 10, 2022
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Social Security Disability Revealed – Why It’s So Hard to Access Benefits and What You Can Do About It with Spencer Bishins

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 159 Social Security Disability Revealed - Why It's So Hard to Access Benefits and What You Can Do About It with Spencer Bishins Spencer Bishins has a Master's degree in economics and a law degree, but after working for SSA for more than 10 years, he shifted his expertise to demystifying the complicated disability system. His first book, Social Security Disability Revealed: Why It's So Hard to Access Benefits and What You Can Do About It, explores the obstacles disability claimants face as they navigate the benefits system.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about your career and what motivated you to write your book? After law school, I accepted a job with the Social Security Administration. The SSA system sometimes feels like a computer is deciding a person's case. That's partly because the rules can be very strict and partly because they're monitoring how many cases are being paid to over a million people that file for social security disability benefits every year. Feeling like a claimant is a statistic, moving through an in-personal process where their story is lost can be frustrating. The purpose of the book is to help people understand the process better and know how to deal with situations that may arise during the process.  What is the difference between SSI and SSDI? There are two social security disability programs. Social security tax paid through payroll funds the retirement program, but it also funds the SSDI program. SSDI is only for adults, but adults can also apply for the SSI program if they don't qualify for SSDI benefits. SSI payout is a lot lower payout and a lot stricter. Kids can also receive SSI based on the standard of impairment and functioning, as referenced in the ruling SSR 09-2P to SSR 09-8P. If a child has been approved for SSI, as they approach adulthood, you'll be notified that the child will undergo an evaluation to determine if they're able to work and they may lose their benefits. If a parent has worked and earned SSDI benefits, their adult child can file a claim on their parent's earning record through a program called Disabled Adult Child (DAC) claim. The wage-earner has to be deceased, retired or disabled and in some way a social security recipient themselves.  For parents who care for their children full time and can no longer work, how can they benefit from social security disability? If you've worked long enough to earn social security credits, you may have SSDI coverage. Filing a disability claim if you've paid into the system is called an entitlement and you're entitled to receive benefits if you qualify. You can talk to a social security representative if you're considering filing a claim for yourself as a parent. If you're approved for SSDI, you can also get access to Medicare. CONNECT WITH SPENCER Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BishinsPublishing/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bishinspublishing/ Twitter https://twitter.com/bishinspub LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Determining Childhood Disability – Documenting a Child's Impairment-Related Limitations https://www.ssa.gov/OP_Home/rulings/ssi/02/SSR2009-02-ssi-02.html Bishins Publishing https://www.bishinspublishing.com/ Social Security Disability Revealed: Why It's So Hard to Access Benefits and What You Can Do About It https://www.amazon.com/Social-Security.../dp/B0B5PQ6ZYD CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Interested in advertising on Once Upon a Gene? Email [email protected] for more information!
by Once Upon A Gene
November 3, 2022
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Effisode – Chasing Greenlights

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
November 1, 2022
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Medical Student – Urvi Gupta Joins the Global Genes Rare Compassion Program with Alexions Patient Advocacy Champion Wendy Erler

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 158 Medical Student - Urvi Gupta Joins the Global Genes Rare Compassion Program with Alexions Patient Advocacy Champion Wendy Erler Wendy Erler is passionate about the caregiver and patient voice being at the forefront of her work at Alexion Pharmaceuticals. Urvi Gupta is a second year medical student, working with the rare disease community to shape her professional path forward in the medical field. In this episode, I talk with Wendy Erler and Urvi Gupta about the Global Genes Rare Compassion Program.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Wendy, can you tell us about yourself? I lead the patient advocacy team at Alexion, a pharmaceutical company focused on rare diseases. We work with physicians, patients, families and caregivers and my job is focused on elevating that partnership and bringing the patient and caregiver voice into everything we do.  Urvi, can you share how you became involved with the rare disease community? In a class called Clinical Correlation, we had a patient visit and they mentioned the Global Genes Rare Compassion Program, which matches up medical students with patients who have rare diseases to allow them to learn from each other. I've had three patient partners through that program and it's been amazing and inspiring to network with everyone in the rare disease community.  Urvi, how essential do you think it is to experience a true doctor-patient relationship already? So many patients say their course of treatment varies greatly based on how well their doctor listens to them. I think that's so important when it comes to rare diseases because it's not something you see often and when a patient presents a unique set of symptoms, they can't be brushed off. It's been helpful to experience and come to understand that the patient's perspective is the one that matters and what will help get a diagnosis.  Urvi, in what ways are you interested in raising awareness of the rare disease community? I would advise all medical students interested in rare disease to join the Global Genes Rare Compassion Program. There are a lot of other rare disease organizations always looking for help and there's likely a perspective you can offer.  LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Global Genes Rare Compassion Program https://globalgenes.org/compassion/ Alexion Pharmaceuticals https://alexion.com/ Connor B. Judge Foundation https://www.connorbjudgefoundation.org/ CONNECT WITH WENDY & URVI Wendy Erler https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendyerler/ Urvi Gupta https://www.linkedin.com/in/urvigupta1/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
October 27, 2022
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The Effects of Rare Disease on Relationships and How to Cope When You and Your Partner Have Different Strategies with KCNH1 Founder and Rare Mama Michaelle Jinnette

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 157 Episode 157 - The Effects of Rare Disease on Relationships and How to Cope When You and Your Partner Have Different Strategies with KCNH1 Founder and Rare Mama Michaelle Jinnette Michaelle Jinette is a wife and the mom to four boys. Her last son was born with a rare disease and she started a foundation to find and help create a therapy for kids with KCNH1 related disorders. She is also a marriage and family therapist and we're talking with her about the mental aspects of the rare disease world.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS What advice do you have for parents at the beginning of the rare disease journey? Find a balance of allowing yourself time to process and grieve, but try to move forward and cope in healthy ways. Find what grounds you, stay present, limit negative thoughts of the future and reach out for support from professions, friends and family.  When stuck in the comparison phase, what advice do you have for parents to move beyond that? Have perspective and be intentional about seeking and having gratitude. Bitterness will isolate you, so choose gratitude and choose to shift your focus to the abilities your child does have, to joy, to your support system, or anything else.  What tips do you have for maintaining a healthy marriage? Marriage and marriage with young kids is hard to begin with without the added complexity and stress of having kids with extra needs. You have to choose your priorities and set boundaries to focus on them. Carve time out for yourself and your spouse by hiring or asking for help. When you are together, be present and not on your phone or distracted otherwise.  In the way that men and women handle things differently, how can we ensure there's not a resulting resentment? Very frequently in relationships, there's one partner who is less comfortable with emotional connections and one partner pushing for more emotional connections. With major stressors or grief around diagnosis and health issues, women may feel like men won't talk openly and they feel isolated, when in fact, studies have shown that in conflict or emotional situations, men are dis-regulated. They're overwhelmed, but they cope by avoiding, shutting down and withdrawing. It's important to remember that while your partner may be withdrawn or holding back feelings, that doesn't mean they don't care. Try to have conversations at times when tension isn't high. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Clubhouse Gene Fixers https://www.clubhouse.com/club/thegenefixers TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
October 20, 2022
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Effisode – Gravity

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
October 18, 2022
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A Rare Collection – Batten Down the Hatches

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 156 A Rare Collection - Batten Down the Hatches There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS My best friend- Kelly Vandewerker Prior to 2015, I lived a life unaffected by rare disease. When Effie became pregnant, I hosted her baby shower and couldn't wait for her baby to be born. I had a three year old and one year old at the time and imagined them being best friends, going to summer camp together, and spending summers together on our boat. When Ford was born, we knew something wasn't quite right and over the months that followed, he was placed on a feeding tube and made regular trips to the ER. When we had our scheduled girls weekends, Effie didn't want to talk about it- she was angry. As her friend, I didn't know how to support her and outside of sending meals, I didn't know what she needed. When Ford got his CTNNB1 diagnosis, it empowered Effie to stand up and fight. She knew what Ford was up against, she found a tribe of people and she found her voice. With that, she was able to share how her friends and family could support her and her family. I found my passion in helping Ford through fundraising, advocating, building programs and helping schools write grants to fund programs. When it comes to rare diseases, we're all learning and there are a lot of unanswered questions, so support research, support your friends and love on all the amazing rare kiddos.  Best friend to Parvathy Raman Krishnan- Sri Vidhya Parvathy and I attended school together in India from kindergarten through 12th grade. We knew each other by name and nothing more and came to the United States at different times. When my husband and I learned Parvathy and her husband lived close to us, we met with them and immediately had a spark between our families- like we knew each other forever. As our friendship grew blissfully, Parvathy's husband broke the devastating news to us that their oldest child had been diagnosed with a rare disease. My husband and I didn't know how to respond, whether to ask questions or give their family space. We decided to stay quiet, masking our heavy hearts. I started researching medical terms and gaining understanding so I could talk to my friend. It brought depth to our relationship and it gave us a bigger purpose. I'm always in awe of Parvathy and her husband's grit and determination to handle things, to inspire the world- spreading the message that nothing is too big to handle, merely by living their life everyday.  CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
October 13, 2022
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CRELD1 Dadvocate Paying the Ultimate Price – Seeking Diagnosis for His Two Children, and Raising Awareness with Adam Clatworthy

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 155 CRELD1 Dadvocate Paying the Ultimate Price - Seeking Diagnosis for His Two Children, and Raising Awareness with Adam Clatworthy Adam Clatworthy is a passionate advocate and blogger with a focus on the importance of the caregiver voice and how much expertise we, as parents, caregivers and patients bring to the table.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about your family? My wife is a pediatric nurse and I work in communications. We have a daughter named Daisy who will be 7 years old soon and a son named Alfie who is 17 months. We lost my daughter Lola just over a year ago. Our rare disease journey started with Lola and we didn't know what it was until about 18 months ago. When she was born, there were things that initially worried us and then her first seizure happened when she was 4 months old. Despite seeing several specialists over the following months, doctors didn't know what was causing Lola's symptoms. After Alfie began displaying the same symptoms as Lola, we went back to the geneticist and we were able to confirm the condition they both had was CRELD1.  Reflecting on what you know now about Lola's medical care, how do you approach Alfie's appointments? We feel heard and our neurologist recently presented a case study about the importance of listening to parents as part of the diagnosis phase. He reached out to us to understand as much as possible. When we talk about Alfie's treatment options, we feel heard when we share what did and didn't work for Lola. We're also exploring therapeutic and more natural remedies as well, so we're more resistant to trying multiple drugs and we seek out experts in fields that support the use of supplements and more natural remedies. While those remedies aren't always recognized in the general medical population, we have pushed to get guidance from the right people and bring it all together to work the best it can for Alfie.  What has been your experience connecting with other rare disease dads? I find that it's a struggle for men to talk about things and it's helpful to have an outlet to get things off your chest, vent, and get the pain and anger out of your head. Since starting the journey with Lola, I have lost touch with a lot of my friends because they didn't know how to be around me. There are a lot of moms in the rare disease community, which is great for my wife, but there aren't a lot of dads in the support groups. LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED Global Genes Patient Advocacy Summit Recordings https://www.cvent.com/ CRELD1 Warriors Website https://www.creld1.com/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Once Upon a Gene TV https://www.thedisordercollection.com/
by Once Upon A Gene
October 6, 2022
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Effisode – Gilmore Girls, Pumpkin Spice, and Baja

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
October 4, 2022
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A Groundbreaking Gene Therapy In Record Time to Cure His Son with SPG50 Sets a New Course For Future Rare Disease Treatments with Terry Pirovalakis

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 154 A Groundbreaking Gene Therapy In Record Time to Cure His Son with SPG50 Sets a New Course For Future Rare Disease Treatments with Terry Pirovalakis Terry Pirovolakis is a rare disease crusader and father to Michael, who has SPG50. He made a gene therapy for his son in only 18 months. The work he has done will also transform the way rare diseases are treated. He's hosting free monthly 101, 102 and 103 gene therapy courses to help other families advance their programs. Learn more by visiting Terry's website, cureSPG50.org or by connecting with him on social media. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you share a little bit about Michael's diagnosis? Michael was born healthy, but wasn't hitting milestones like my other children. We learned through testing that he had a disease called Spastic Paraplegia Type 50 (SPG50). Shortly after the diagnosis, we began researching and reading articles, we flew to meet with experts in gene therapy and signed a contract a month later to start a gene therapy program which kicked off our journey. Is there a point where it's too late for gene therapy? I don't think it's ever too late for gene therapy. My perspective is that if children can get it from 1-6 months old, gene therapy can be a cure. After that, gene therapy becomes less of a cure and more of a treatment. Unfortunately for Michael, gene therapy is a treatment and not a cure, but our goal is to cure kids by getting SPG50 on the newborn screening panel so we can cure kids- not treat them.  What is your advice for other families who are on a journey to fund gene therapy and drug development? Families have to understand that a lot of money has to be raised and they have to be willing to give up a lot to get the money you need. You have to have a solid family and the right team. Get your community involved, get friends and family involved and think outside the box to spread awareness about your disease. I encourage families to take my classes and reach out to me throughout the gene therapy and drug development journey. CONNECT WITH TERRY Website https://www.curespg50.org/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CureSPG50 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cure_spg50/ Twitter https://twitter.com/CureSPG50 Email [email protected] TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Once Upon a Gene TV https://www.thedisordercollection.com/
by Once Upon A Gene
September 29, 2022
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Improving Inclusion Practices in Schools with the Inclusive Educator – Bre Gastaldi

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 153 Improving Inclusion Practices in Schools with the Inclusive Educator - Bre Gastaldi Bre Gastaldi is known as the Inclusive Educator and she teaches school districts how to implement inclusive practices. She's also a special education teacher. She joins me for a discussion on diversity and inclusion in all aspects of education and the school setting.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about yourself and your work as an inclusion expert? I got into special education by way of my own neurodivergence. I was diagnosed with ADHD in middle school, studied psychology as an undergrad and I started understanding myself better and fell in love with psychology and working with kids. I got my masters degree and began teaching, eventually becoming an inclusion specialist. I was also looking for ways to include my students in a variety of activities. My students excelled because of it, the school culture shifted and I began working with other teachers and administrators to improve inclusion practices. I have since branched off and became the Inclusive Educator.  What is the biggest misconception around inclusion? Inclusion isn't a program because true inclusion exists within your child's general education classroom- it's not a class they go to. If only certain students can be in an inclusion program, it isn't inclusive. Inclusion is an undeniable sense of belonging from the time a child walks into a classroom. It's a feeling of belonging and being valued and celebrated.  How does inclusion affect a general education student? A 2008 analysis of several studies found that inclusion had a neutral to positive impact on neurotypical students in 81% percent of studies. When there's an inclusive classroom and culture, all students are learning more. School districts doing a good job being inclusive reveals an increase of graduation rates. Inclusion impacts general education students in that they improve in academics, but they're also socializing with a reduced sense of fear, they generally have a stronger self esteem and better sense of self. What are your top tips for inclusion? Let your child lead because they will tell you one way or another when they're ready to participate more. As a parent, be intentional about making positive connections with the multidisciplinary team. If your child isn't being included, start slowly with focusing on what their interests are. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED The Inclusive Educator Website https://www.theinclusiveeducator.com/ Connect with Bre on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the_inclusive_educator/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Once Upon a Gene TV https://www.thedisordercollection.com/
by Once Upon A Gene
September 22, 2022
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Effisode – Shake It Off

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
September 20, 2022
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A Rare Collection – Underestimated

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 152 A Rare Collection - Underestimated There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Ryan Sheedy, Dad to Reynolds When I think about the word underestimate, I think about an underdog. As a kid my favorite movie was Rudy, the story of Daniel Ruettiger, a young man determined to play football for the University of Notre Dame. Rudy was too small, didn't have the grades to go to college and he was dyslexic. Now that I'm a dad, I love this movie even more because my son Reynolds is a real-life Rudy. He was diagnosed with an ultra rare disease called Costello Syndrome at 18 months old. Reynolds has spent 103 days in the hospital, has undergone countless surgeries, his medical team consists of 30 doctors and with an ultra rare disease, he is incredibly complex and medically fragile.  Reynolds never quits, he inspires many and reminds me to never underestimate the power of determination.  Stephen Hager, Dad to Emma When we were pregnant with our daughter, we underestimated how she would completely define who I was. When a neurologist explained her condition to us and said she would only live a few more months, we underestimated how resilient she would be. We underestimated the bureaucratic red tape we would encounter to get equipment and services. When we got services, we underestimated how draining it would be to take her to therapy five days a week. I underestimated how hard this life would be and how often I would need support. I also underestimated how readily people would offer support.  Christopher Andrade, Dad to Logan My wife Katie and I are raising three children. I always knew I wanted children, but underestimated how much I would love them. I love my children fiercely. Logan was diagnosed with Noonan Syndrome at a year old. Regardless of his condition, he was still my perfect son and nothing would change that. It was a struggle to get through the six months after Logan's diagnosis. I underestimated how painful it would be to be a parent. I remember the day the oncologist told us our son had cancer. I underestimated how painful it is to watch our children hurt and struggle, enduring things they shouldn't have to. It was brutally hard. When it came to his heart surgery, I underestimated what it would be like to see him after and the journey to recovery. When I started advocating online, I underestimated the toll it would take on me. CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
September 15, 2022
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Rare Friends Forever – Hanging Out and Showing Some Love to Brene Brown with Katie Lloyd and Adam Johnson

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 151 Rare Friends Forever - Hanging Out and Showing Some Love to Brene Brown with Katie Lloyd and Adam Johnson Adam "Dadvocate" Johnson and Katie Lloyd are on the podcast, joining me for a lighthearted chat about Brené Brown, a research professor who has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Adam, what are some of your favorite quotes and why? One that stands out in terms of transitioning into the rare disease space is from Daring Greatly and says, "What we know matters, but who we are matters more." This was impactful to me because when rare disease happened and I was losing my career, transitioning into survival mode, I had to find myself again and remember that who I was mattered more.  Katie, can you share a quote that has impacted you? It's very scary to be vulnerable and it reminds me of the quote, "Tell the story of who you are with your whole heart." Last time I was on the podcast, I shared vulnerable thoughts and feelings and later worried about who would hear them. This quote reminds me that it's important to open up and share and that it helps others feel they're not alone. Brene talks a lot about shame and says, "Shame is the fear of disconnection." When we are vulnerable, especially talking about rare disease, we connect and we feel more open and less ashamed. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Episode 125 - A Very Rare and Very Real Adventure with DeSanto-Shinawi Syndrome Mom and Author of a Very Rare Adventure Katie Lloyd https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-125-katie-lloyd Episode 052 - Adam Johnson - Rare Disease Dad on Mitochondrial Myopathy and Owning Your Story https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-052-adam-johnson-mitochondrial-myopathy Brené Brown, TEDxHouston: The power of vulnerability https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability Dare to Lead https://brenebrown.com/book/dare-to-lead/ Atlas of the Heart https://brenebrown.com/book/atlas-of-the-heart/ Brené Brown: Atlas Of The Heart on HBO Max https://www.hbomax.com/series/urn:hbo:series:GYivWaAXEZMLDwwEAAACz Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead https://www.amazon.com/Daring-Greatly-Courage-Vulnerable-Transforms/dp/1592408419 Parents As Rare Podcast https://rarediseasedad.com/parents-as-rare-my-pod A Very Rare Adventure Blog https://averyrareadventure.com/ The Imaginary Dad Podcast on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxSX6fMdpfcruG_Tt3JJ0TQ/featured TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Once Upon a Gene TV https://www.thedisordercollection.com/
by Once Upon A Gene
September 8, 2022
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Effisode – Inclusion Revolution

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
September 6, 2022
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Rare Disease Families Have Plenty of Hope – They Need Help with Drug Development with NF2 Biosolutions Found – Nicole Henwood and Vibe Bio Co-Founder Alok Tayi

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 150 Rare Disease Families Have Plenty of Hope - They Need Help with Drug Development with NF2 Biosolutions Found - Nicole Henwood and Vibe Bio Co-Founder Alok Tayi Alok Tayi is a seasoned scientist and co-founder of Vibe Bio. Alok started Vibe Bio because the biggest obstacle in treating patients with overlooked diseases isn’t finding potential treatments — it’s funding them. Together we speak with Nicole Henwood, a rare mother, physician and president of NF2 Biosolutions, partnering with Vibe Bio to create Merlin Therapeutics, one of the first biotechs leveraging crypto's economic and coordination tools to fund research and drug development. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Nicole, can you introduce yourself?  I am a physician and my 11 year-old son AJ was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type two (NF2) when he was 6 years old. I realized very quickly that what was available for treatment was not what I wanted to be available for my son. I founded a 501c3 charity called NF2 BioSolutions, focused on accelerating gene therapy research for NF2. Alok, can you introduce yourself?  Last year my daughter was born very sick and spent a long time suffering in the hospital. The condition she has is common and the biology behind it is well understood, but there were no therapeutic options available to her. That’s what motivated me to create Vibe Bio, which will give patients more ownership over the drug development process and a community to support them along the way.  Vibe Bio is considered a DAO, what does this mean?  A decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) is a digital collective of individuals focused on a common mission, and the actions of this collective are mediated by voting and governance through a token that we all hold. Vibe Bio is building a community of patients, scientists and partners to help identify and vet potential treatments in the rare disease space. We then actually fund the drug development activities from those programs using cryptocurrency token sales.  Can you tell us about your partnership between NF2 Biosolutions and Vibe Bio?  We’re excited to announce two partnerships with NF2 Biosolutions and Chelsea’s Hope, which are focused on NF2 and Lafora. These patient groups have developed a community of patients, caregivers and scientific leaders in the space. The challenge is that they’re able to show that medicines work in a pre-clinical context, but they lack the capital to get them into a clinical trial. There’s a lot of excitement around the work that we’re doing because we’re hoping to show how the patient and community driven model allows us to advance medicines and unlock the development of candidate treatments. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Global Genes Patient Advocacy Summit https://globalgenes.org/event/rare-patient-advocacy-summit/ Vibe Bio https://www.vibebio.com/ NF2 Biosolutions https://nf2biosolutions.org/ Merlin Therapeutics https://merlintherapeutics.com Chelsea’s Hope https://chelseashope.org/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Once Upon a Gene TV https://www.thedisordercollection.com/
by Once Upon A Gene
September 1, 2022
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Together We Can Cure Single-Gene Disorders Starting with PGAP3 – Moonshot – An Ambitious and Innovative Project with Geri and Zach Landman

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 149 Together We Can Cure Single-Gene Disorders Starting with PGAP3 - Moonshot - An Ambitious and Innovative Project with Geri and Zach Landman Zachary and Geri Landman are the parents of Lucy, who was born with PGAP3 during the pandemic. They're brilliant and driven, seeking treatments through their nonprofit, Moonshot for Unicorns.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you share a little bit about Lucy? Lucy is our adorable 14 month old daughter, born during the pandemic. Initially she was growing and developing like our two older daughters. When we began introducing food in a baby chair, Lucy would slump over. We weren't too concerned, but our pediatrician later referred us to a neurologist who recommended physical therapy. Lucy later underwent MRIs, a nerve conduction study, EEG to look for seizures and a spinal tap to look for potential infections or neurotransmitter deficiencies. After a final genetic test returned results, we were notified that Lucy had two bad copies of her PGAP3 gene. Because it was an ultra-rare diagnosis, there were no treatments, no therapies and no research around potential clinical trials.  What inspired you to start Moonshot for Unicorns? We didn't want any rare disease parents to go to bed the night of their diagnosis feeling the way we did- that there were no treatments and cures. A week after Lucy was diagnosed, we went into action mode, read every scientific paper available, emailed every author of every paper, learned all the details we could and started making connections with other families. We started Moonshot for Unicorns with a focus on PGAP3, but the goal is to develop therapies for the other single gene disorders that don't currently have treatments. Today, gene therapy is underway for PGAP3 and we're also doing drug repurposing work.  What has been your experience with drug repurposing so far? The labs are independent companies, some academic and some for profit, and you put your experiment in the queue and they give you a cost and timelines, which can vary and stretch out over months. We were told it could be up to 9 months until the lab would get to our experiment, so we started exploring the idea of a pop up lab. Going this route has given us a hands-on ability, we get regular updates and the possibilities are endless. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Moonshots for Unicorns https://www.moonshotsforunicorns.org/ @lucythepgap3goose on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lucythepgap3goose/ Little Zebra Fund https://littlezebrafund.org/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Once Upon a Gene TV https://www.thedisordercollection.com/
by Once Upon A Gene
August 25, 2022
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Effisode – Montana or Bust

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
August 23, 2022
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Rare Disease Siblings, The Glass House Children – Bulletproof and Shattered – With SMA Sibling Cara Freedman

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 148 Rare Disease Siblings, The Glass House Children - Bulletproof and Shattered - With SMA Sibling Cara Freedman August is Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Awareness Month and sibling Cara Freedman joins me to discuss her experience growing up with her older brother Jack. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about your family? I'm 22 years old and just graduated college with a degree in biochemistry and molecular biology. My older brother passed away in October from SMA Type 1. He was wonderful, always had a smile on his face and acted like he didn't have a care in the world.  What was it like to be the sibling to Jack growing up? Before I went to school, I didn't know that having a brother like Jack was out of the norm. Attending school changed everything when I realized my peers noticed Jack in a way I hadn't before. It made me feel different and I isolated myself for a bit. If 22 year old me went back to elementary school, I'd do something and stand up for myself. I treated Jack like a normal older brother, he teased me, I ignored him, he'd run me over with his wheelchair, and we did the typical sibling things.  What helped you cope when you were growing up? When I met people, it helped me feel normal to withhold that I had a brother with a rare disorder so they could get to know me first. It helped me to gain power back. I also spent a lot of time by myself, learning who I was and learning that I didn't rely heavily on anyone else.  What boundaries did you have growing up to protect your mental health? Something that helped was accepting that it was okay to want to get away to be alone and separate myself from chaos. It was also common for me to reserve medical talk for only when it was necessary. I did my best to remind myself that it was okay not to fit into a sibling mold and feel what I needed to feel. What effect has growing up with Jack had on you as an adult? I gained patience for myself and others and empathy through caring for other people. I find myself to be an empath and feel a lot of what other people feel, mostly because I could never feel what Jack and I always want to get into other people's shoes and understand who they are. I still care too much about what others think about me. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Global Genes Patient Advocacy Summit https://globalgenes.org/event/rare-patient-advocacy-summit/ Episode 090 - Mental Health and chronic stress with Rare Disease Dad and Psychologist Al Freedman, Ph.D https://www.bloodstreammedia.com/once-upon-a-gene-episodes/episode-090-mental-health-and-chronic-stress-with-rare-disease-dad-and-psychologist-al-freedman-phd NORD https://rarediseases.org/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Once Upon a Gene TV https://www.thedisordercollection.com/
by Once Upon A Gene
August 18, 2022
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A Rare Collection – Easier Said Than Done

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 147 A Rare Collection - Easier Said Than Done There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Katie Stevens, Executive Director of Team Telomere It's back to school season which has me thinking about how the education system so often fails the most vulnerable children. In 2015, we moved from Idaho to Boston. My son was set to be the sixth patient in the world to undergo a clinical trial for people with Telomere Biology Disorders. We had been searching for the best treatment for my son for years. His body was no longer able to fight viruses and infections, he couldn't stop bleeding and he didn't have enough red blood cells to keep him from feeling easily winded. He was a 12 year old boy whose day-to-day was filled with worry and he just wanted to be "normal". Getting your child an education when critically ill or disabled is easier said than done. I'm thankful for the teachers that stood up for my child. Education for the most vulnerable children of our society shouldn't be dismissed.  Parvathy Krishnan, Foundation Alliance Manager at Global Genes As a child I was always told nothing was impossible and everything would be okay if I saw the positive. I truly believed the ups and downs of life were part of the journey and I just had to see the positive. When I had my first child, I had my parenting journey mapped out and anticipated ups and downs. It was instead filled with potholes, car crashes and train wrecks. It was hard to see the positive when everything seemed bleak. Through our diagnostic odyssey, and through various aggressive treatments taking place concurrently for both of my children, it was hard to find the positive and I felt like I was failing. Hope was a mirage. I felt a medical breakthrough was the only positive that would give me closure. But I was wrong. A smile from my children was the positive I needed. While it's easier said than done to find the positive, even when it feels impossible, remember to turn on the light and hope that this too shall pass.  Becky Tilley, Koolen De Vries Syndrome I'm a passionate writer and advocate. In all the articles and blogs I've written, you'll see the common sentiment to celebrate your uniqueness, be yourself, and enjoy being you. In real life, that's challenging to do. The symptoms of Koolen De Vries Syndrome that myself and my two youngest children share can vary from mild, to moderate, to severe. I grew up with learning disabilities. I was an easy target for bullies. I never learned what it was to love and celebrate what made me different and this is something I want for my children. I want them to be empowered in who they are. For them to do that, I need to be an example, especially as a mom that shares the same syndrome. I feel a responsibility to them to celebrate being unique and inspire my children to do the same. CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
August 11, 2022
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Effisode – The Lunchboxes

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
August 9, 2022
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When Your Career and Personal Life Collide – VP of Medical and Science Strategy and Head of Syneos Health’s Rare Disease Consortium FSHD Rare Dad – Raymond Huml

by Once Upon A Gene
August 4, 2022
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Ensuring that the Patient and Caregiver Voice are Part of Clinical Trial Design and Engagement – Bridging the Gap with Industry with Shazia Ahmad

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 145 Ensuring that the Patient and Caregiver Voice are Part of Clinical Trial Design and Engagement - Bridging the Gap with Industry with Shazia Ahmad Shazia Ahmad is the Senior Director and Head of Patient and Physician Services at UBC. She earned a BS in psychology and neurobiology from the University of Maryland and has over 20 years of experience in the therapeutic development industry.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you talk about your work designing clinical trials? I started my career at the NIH as a Research Coordinator and that's where my work in rare diseases and infectious disease started. I worked closely with patients, parents, caregivers, and care partners. At UBC I've been involved in heading up the patient services division which handles patient advocacy and stakeholder engagement. What invigorates my passion for the rare disease space is my own personal journey. I have a daughter with Kawasaki disease (KD). Because we received a diagnosis in a timely way before going into phase two of KD, we were able to get treatment for her to recover completely. It left a mark on me in my career moving forward to focus on integrating advocacy and understanding the patient journey, and the impact on the families in any program that I would support in healthcare moving forward.  Why should families seek out clinical trials? I think it's so important for families to understand the impact that their participation could make in participating in clinical trials because it's hope and a possible treatment. But most importantly, it's helping the overall patient community for that particular diagnosis, which is huge and it's critical.  What transformational changes are you seeing around designing trials and gathering a more diverse population?  As I work on clinical trials, I'm seeing more advocacy organizations partnering with the industry and making an impact early on. I'm also seeing a lot of the new technologies coming out for improving diagnosis, creating more communication, education and awareness about rare diseases in general, not just clinical trials. There's a lot of good collaboration going on within patient communities.  What are the gaps with industry right now and how do we bridge that with advocacy?  Industry is starting to do a better job in understanding the journey and bringing that into design and implementation. What often happens is they complete the clinical trial and sometimes that awareness and continuous conversation with that patient community is not ongoing. We need more community building within industry to keep those communities engaged and there are gaps there. We also need more sponsors to work together. There's so much that we could do if we really conquer some of these rare diseases together and come together as a community to create a bridge where we can learn from each other.  LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Global Genes Patient Advocacy Summit https://globalgenes.org/event/rare-patient-advocacy-summit/ UBC https://ubc.com/ Shazia Ahmad - Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaziakahmad TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Once Upon a Gene TV https://www.thedisordercollection.com/
by Once Upon A Gene
July 28, 2022
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Effisode – CTNNB1 Awareness Day – Rare Disease Family Meet-Up

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
July 26, 2022
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Summer Surfing – Get On Top of the IEP Wave – Things You Can Do This Summer to Make Next Year Better with Gay Grossman

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 144 Summer Surfing - Get On Top of the IEP Wave - Things You Can Do This Summer to Make Next Year Better with Gay Grossman Gay Grossman is the co-founder of ADCY5.org and she's a mom to her 25 year old daughter Lilly who lives with a rare disease. She's been an advocate for everyone in the rare disease community for over 20 years. She shares her knowledge with us about IEP's and how to be the fiercest, most equipped advocates we can be. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS What is the difference between 504 and IEP? A 504 is the plan utilized to help kids that may need adaptations or accommodations in the classroom. An IEP is a federal document that has to be followed by school districts that provides individual support to a single child. An IEP is changed yearly and often to ensure a child has the accommodations needed to access their education.  How can parents prepare for and restructure IEP meetings?  Several people will be there and the first step is generally to go around the room reading reports about a child's diagnosis and challenges. Ahead of the meeting, request that all reports are provided a week before the meeting so you can create an agenda. Read the reports at home and create an agenda that begins with an overview of top needs and how to meet those needs.  Who writes an IEP and what should parents know about it? The IEP is written by the school. Take the IEP home, review it and ensure you understand it before you sign it. An IEP is a legal contract, so it's important to document, take good notes, communicate through email, and cover yourself. You can call an IEP meeting any time of year, but avoid the end of the school year to maximize time and attention. It's okay to hire an advocate or attorney or invite a friend to be in attendance at the meetings.  What advice do you have for parents going into their first IEP? If a goal doesn't seem measurable, it's not a goal you care about, or it's not a goal your child strives for, make a new goal. Focus on highlighting goals that are helpful so you can change goals that aren't helpful. Request a meeting with the school, visit the classroom to familiarize yourself, ensure the goals that you've prioritized are obtainable.  LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Global Genes Patient Advocacy Summit https://globalgenes.org/event/rare-patient-advocacy-summit/ Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) https://sites.ed.gov/idea/ ADCY5.org https://www.adcy5.org/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Once Upon a Gene TV https://www.thedisordercollection.com/
by Once Upon A Gene
July 21, 2022
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A Rare Collection – I Will Never Forget

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 148 A Rare Collection - I Will Never Forget There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Elli Brimble As a researcher and genetic counselor, I work behind the scenes to help families craft their own stories. I met Nasha Fitter in 2016 when her daughter developed infantile spasms during a family vacation, resulting in an emergency flight home and hospitalization. The response to treatment was immediate, but an epilepsy gene panel result revealed that the spasms were caused by a change in one copy of the FOXG1 gene. Weeks later, Nasha and I would start corresponding about what resulted in a foundation dedicated to funding science and research for FOXG1 syndrome. Nasha quickly became an expert in biology, clinical trial readiness, drug development and fundraising. Today, Nasha and I work as partners, championing the product we built through this shared experience and all the ones that came after.  Kira Dineen As a graduate student, studying to become a genetic counselor, I met a couple I will never forget that widened my perspective on rare diseases. In a prenatal setting, we're reviewing family health history and the mother of that baby shares that her biological niece has a rare disorder. The mother wanted to test her baby for the rare disorder her niece had and the father didn't want to do testing during pregnancy. The father highlighted how much joy the niece brought to the family and that he would want to have a child with the same disorder. As a student, it was a turning point to talk to someone who had such a positive and rewarding relationship with someone with a rare disease. I want to see more celebrations of rare diseases like this couple shared with me. Abigail Turnwald I'll never forget receiving the first positive genetic test result during graduate school. Just as the parents, I really hoped it would be negative and when I saw the positive result, my heart sank. I dialed their phone number, listened to the rings and hoped they didn't answer because I didn't want to deliver the news. I practiced what to say to make sure I had the words just right. I learned in graduate school that when you give a diagnosis, families will remember the words you said forever. This was the first diagnosis I gave and I will never forget. Some days I still think of the family and wonder if I said the right words and what would have made receiving the news easier. I know when I deliver a diagnosis, lives are forever changed and parents will never forget that moment, and neither will I. CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
July 14, 2022
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Effisode – Back on Track – All Aboard the Inclusion Train

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
July 12, 2022
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Half of the Day She's a Diversity Champion, the Other Half a Rare Disease Mom and Caregiver with Yosr Hamza

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 142 Half of the Day She's a Diversity Champion, the Other Half a Rare Disease Mom and Caregiver with Yosr Hamza Yosr Hamza is a lawyer, caregiver, and mom and she joins us to talk about what it's like to be a parent to a child with a rare disease in the Middle East, where rare disease isn't as accepted or normalized.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS How have you navigated having a child with a rare disease and discovered your powerful voice to embrace your child? For an entire year, I didn't share my secret that my son had a rare disease outside of my family.  I was my own judge and was scared of anyone judging my capability to work and manage everything. I had to embrace it on my own first before I could grow stronger and move past wanting to hide something that makes me who I am. I now see it from the perspective that if someone can't embrace it, that's on them, not me. I wouldn't be able to embrace my own diversity and be my most authentic self without going through what I have with my child and his journey.  What tools and resources helped you to move through the initial emotions after your child was born? One thing I've learned through my journey is to really feel every feeling. I no longer fight back sadness, when I'm down, when I can't do something. It can take a day or two sometimes, but the importance is recognizing when I need to take a break and take time to care for myself. If you're not okay, you can't care for anyone else. I learned that I don't delegate well, but I eventually learned to recognize who was around me, willing to support me and I prepared ideas of things I was able to delegate. It's also been important for me to keep an open mind and not decide in advance what my journey should look like. Being very career oriented, having a plan for myself, it was difficult to realize that I no longer need to win, but I just have to stay in the race.  As a caregiver, what are your goals for yourself and your child? I hope to have a space for caregivers and children like my son in my region. It's unfortunate that there are no resources and we have to fight for everything. There are no nurseries or schools and it creates a need for support. The help and resources are not here and the government isn't investing in it. I'm being vocal about this to hopefully inspire other parents to speak out. I hope by sharing my story, I can connect with someone who can help me make a change and create a voice for caregivers.  LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Global Genes Patient Advocacy Summit https://globalgenes.org/event/rare-patient-advocacy-summit/ Mejo https://www.mymejo.com/ The Caregiver Lawyer on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecaregiverlawyer/channel/?hl=en TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Once Upon a Gene TV https://www.thedisordercollection.com/
by Once Upon A Gene
July 7, 2022
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A Rare Mama Bear – Being a Single Parent and Adopting a Rare Disease Child with Epidermolysis Bullosa

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 141 A Rare Mama Bear - Being a Single Parent and Adopting a Rare Disease Child with Epidermolysis Bullosa Laura Dellicker is a hardworking mom who adopted a little boy named Salim four years ago. Salim has a rare disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). Laura shares her story of rare disease adoption and what inspired her decision. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about Salim? My son Salim is 7 years old and he has two unrelated genetic conditions. I adopted Salim from India four years ago and I was aware of his primary diagnosis of Epidermolysis Bullosa, which means his skin doesn't adhere to his body.  What was your motivation to adopt Salim despite his rare disease? I knew I wanted to adopt a child with EB after being involved in the ED world for 10 years prior after my friend's son was born with EB. Moreso, I knew Salim was my son and he just happened to be born on the other side of the world and I just did what I had to do to bring him home.  Where have you found support and community? There is a wonderful adoptive community and I have a lot of friends who have adopted kids from India. We've managed to even stay in touch with some of Salim's friends from India. I do sometimes feel a little out of place because there's no one in the adoptive community with either of Salim's genetic conditions, and I've not found another parent who has adopted as a single parent in the rare disease community.  What wisdom do you have for others considering adopting a child with medical complexities? Kids can look terrifying on paper, but they're so worth it. They mostly need love and family. It's worth it in the joy they have in experiencing the world. This isn't an easy road, but it's worth it and will force you to re-evaluate things and not take things for granted. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Effisode 050 - Global Genes RARE Disease Patient Advocacy Summit https://effieparks.com/podcast/effisode-050-global-genes-rare-disease-patient-advocacy-summit Global Genes Patient Advocacy Summit https://globalgenes.org/event/rare-patient-advocacy-summit/ @teamsupersalim on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/teamsupersalim/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/ Once Upon a Gene TV https://www.thedisordercollection.com/
by Once Upon A Gene
June 30, 2022
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Effisode – Global Genes RARE Disease Patient Advocacy Summit

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
June 28, 2022
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Picking the Brain of a Rare Disease Dad – With CTNNB1 Dadvocate – Casey Parks

by Once Upon A Gene
June 23, 2022
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A Rare Collection – Remember Who You Are

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 139 A Rare Collection - Remember Who You Are There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Madeleine Oudin When her daughter Margo was born, Madeleine couldn't wait to take her on adventures across the world. As Margo's due date approached, Madeleine had already applied for her passport and received it by the time she was only two months old. Her first trip to France was booked when she was three months old. Just two days before the trip, Margo had her first seizures and she was diagnosed with epilepsy. When Margo's genetic testing results were processed, she was diagnosed with two mutations in the SCN8A gene, one of a number of genes that can cause epilepsy. Despite Margo's medical complexities, extra planning and equipment, Madeleine has made her dreams of enjoying the magic of adventures with her family come true.  Alyssa Poskarbiewicz As a new mom to a son, Alyssa embraced her new title of mom. When she became a mom to her daughter, born six weeks early, her experience was much different. At just a couple days old, Alyssa learned that her daughter had multiple medical complexities. She had her first surgery at only five days old and was diagnosed with CHARGE syndrome.  Navigating hospital life, forced to face painful and gut-wrenching moments, motherhood didn't look like Alyssa imagined.The expectation of what motherhood would look like wasn't reflected in being a mom to her daughter-  it was terrifying. Shifting roles from mom to her son and mom to her daughter is complicated, messy, confusing and exhausting, but it's changed Alyssa. Her son made her a mom, but her daughter makes her a better mom.  Kaitlin Walden We're not just rare disease parents. We're still individuals who long for things, who need to feel fulfilled and nurtured. As a parent of a medically complex child, Kaitlin found herself losing touch with who she was, and instead, found herself navigating a world of advocacy and living the life of an active duty military spouse. The journey with rare kids is hard work and nothing detracts from the sacrifices that have to be made, but we're capable of being someone else too. Don't lose sight of your seed in the garden, water it, nurture it, and let it blossom. Erin Monast Early in her rare disease parenting journey, Erin recalls the guilt of doing anything besides parenting. After redefining the meaning of self care, Erin rediscovered the voice inside-  the one saying "I'm still here". Self care is doing anything that makes you feel most like yourself. Erin now puts herself at the top of the list so she can be better at all that she does. Listen to the voice inside and let it guide you back to the truest version of you. CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
June 16, 2022
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Effisode – Find Your Fairy Godmother

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
June 14, 2022
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Episode 138 – When Your Child is Facing the Most Severe Form of Human Epilepsy You fight Until the Death – Literally – Chelsea's Hope Lafora Children Research Fund with Niki Markou and Jenifer Merriam

by Once Upon A Gene
June 9, 2022
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Advancing Therapies for Rare Liver Diseases and Alagille Syndrome with FDA Approved LIVMARLI with Chris Peetz – CEO of Mirum Pharmaceuticals

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 137 Advancing Therapies for Rare Liver Diseases and Alagille Syndrome with FDA Approved LIVMARLI with Chris Peetz - CEO of Mirum Pharmaceuticals Chris Peetz is the CEO of Mirum Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company focused on rare liver diseases. They work closely with patients and advocacy groups and have genuine connections which reinforces their sense of urgency to create treatments for liver-related diseases and help to make lives better.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS How was Mirum founded? Our current programs include two different medicines. LIVMARLI (maralixibat) is for the treatment of cholestatic pruritus in patients with Alagille syndrome (ALGS) and another is currently in development for other liver conditions. These programs were being developed by a larger company who decided not to work further on the program. Our co-founder had a relationship with families involved with the clinical studies of maralixibat and, upon seeing how good the patients were doing, decided to start the company and get the program back on course.  What does LIVMARLI do and what symptoms does it treat for Alagille patients? LIVMARLI is an oral liquid medicine that blocks the absorption of bile acids in the GI tract. In clinical studies, we've seen the itch that patients experience improves.  How do you decide what rare diseases to focus on and what's in the Mirum pipeline? We're currently focused on broadening access to LIVMARLI for ALGS patients and taking what we've learned and applying it to other liver diseases that have similar issues with bile acids.  How can rare disease advocacy groups help to push to get treatments approved? The impact patient groups have in working through the regulatory process is massive. They play a big role in providing a voice and awareness to help educate regulators. Patient groups do a lot to educate regulators, but also researchers so they can better understand the complex aspects of a rare disease. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Once Upon a Gene TV https://www.thedisordercollection.com/ ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 036 - Anna Laurent on Alagille Syndrome and Her Road to Advocacy https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-36-anna-laurent-alagille-syndrome Mirum Pharmaceuticals https://mirumpharma.com/ Mirum Access Plus https://www.livmarli.com/ The Alagille Syndrome Alliance https://alagille.org/ ClinicalTrials https://clinicaltrials.gov/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
June 2, 2022
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Effisode – Guilt – Ain't Nobody Got Time for That

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
May 31, 2022
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The Value of Intensive Therapy for Kids with Disabilities with Jessie Cline and Erin Garrison of Climb Intensive Pediatric Therapy

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 136 The Value of Intensive Therapy for Kids with Disabilities with Jessie Cline and Erin Garrison of Climb Intensive Pediatric Therapy Jessie Cline is the Founder of Climb Intensive Pediatric Therapy and Erin Garrison is a Physical Therapist. Sometimes when you need something done (or always in the world of rare disease) you have to do it yourself. Together, Jessie and Erin have joined forces to offer physical therapy and dynamic movement intervention (DMI) services to children to help them reach therapeutic goals quicker than through typical therapeutic interventions. Climb Intensive Pediatric Therapy is the first and only pediatric therapy clinic in Tennessee to offer DMI therapy services. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS What inspired you to take Crew's early intervention therapy to an intensive level of therapy? The early intervention model is to train, educate and equip parents.Crew was responsive to the therapy he was receiving and needed the intensive therapy to jump start and boost his therapy progress so we could further build on that. What is the science behind intensive therapy? Intensive therapy is two to three hours of therapy everyday, five days a week, for several weeks at a time. When you work through therapy at that intense level, while it's hard, you see more drastic results sooner. The brain is challenged by repetition and stimulated to open up new neuro pathways. What inspired you to open Climb Intensive Pediatric Therapy? When I was with Crew at LEAP Pediatric Physical Therapy, there was a sense of community and it was a safe space to allow kids to interact. When I returned to Tennessee, Erin and I began collaborating on how we could create that same community here with the best experience and care for kids and their parents. What services does Climb Intensive Pediatric Therapy offer? We currently offer DMI therapy services and physical therapy. We're hoping to also add speech therapy, feeding therapy and occupational therapy services soon. CONNECT WITH CLIMB Website https://www.climbintensive.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Climb-Intensive-Pediatric-Therapy-101004829103700 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/climb_intensive_peds_therapy/ LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Rare and Relatable on Discord https://discord.com/invite/7UFUPAFs8K LEAP Pediatric Physical Therapy https://www.leappedtherapy.com/ NAPA Center https://napacenter.org/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
May 26, 2022
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A Rare Collection – Up At Night

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 135 A Rare Collection - Up at Night There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Mike Gralia, Dad to Tony and Founder of the Syngap Research Fund Mike recalls the nights insomnia kept him awake, looking at Tony as he rested, and wondering what his life would hold. In the darkness of night, his fears had the freedom to emerge. Tony wouldn't sleep without hours of walking the hall, singing and rocking. Then he'd wake up in the middle of the night crying. Mike and his wife had demanding jobs and the lack of sleep took its toll. When he was three years old, Tony began having seizures and he was diagnosed within a year with SynGAP1, which causes major sleep disturbances. Each day as the sun sets, Mike knows he's going to watch the rerun of a series he knows all too well.  Jennifer Sills, Mom to Jules and Founder of CSNK2A1 Foundation Jules, who has Okur-Chung Neurodevelopmental Syndrome (OCNDS), suffers from a severely disrupted sleep pattern. Jennifer shares of her loneliest nights, staring at the computer, searching for answers for Jules and an explanation for her symptoms. After Jules was diagnosed, the late night internet searches continued and revealed there were no OCNDS resources. Now, the nights aren't as lonely, as Jennifer has discovered over 190 families affected by OCNDS worldwide. She finds comfort in her community and knows she's not the only parent suffering from crushing fatigue. She finds comfort in reflecting on all that Jules has taught her about having purpose and perspective. Charlene Son Rigby, Mom to Juno and Founder of SDXBP1 Foundation As a night owl in college, Charlene spent countless hours hanging out with friends. After college, being a night owl leant itself well to life in the startup world. She prided herself on only sleeping 5 to 6 hours a night with so much to do. After having kids, nights became quiet and peaceful, a time to focus on projects and creative work. When her daughter Juno was diagnosed with SDXBP1 disorder, her nights turned into hours of worry and researching medical papers. Nights were driven by urgency to help Juno and driven by fear for her future. But nights were also driven by optimism and a belief that science could and would help.  Sunita Malepati, CACNA1A Foundation Sunita was told when she had her first child, sleep when the baby sleeps, but she was never good at taking that advice. Sunita pulls a second shift, staying up late, trying to figure out how to cure her daughter's rare disease, a CACNA1A-related disorder. After receiving a diagnosis, Sunita turned her grief and despair into hope and action. The CACNA1A Foundation became her second shift. As a rare disease patient advocacy organization, the foundation is focused on finding treatments and cures for the CACNA1A community by building a collaborative network of patients, families, clinicians and scientists.  CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
May 19, 2022
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Effisode – RARE Entrepreneur Bootcamp Warriors

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
May 17, 2022
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The Critical Role of Newborn Screening – Rare Mom Alison Breitbarth and Infantile Pompe Disease

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 134 The Critical Role of Newborn Screening - Rare Mom Alison Breitbarth and Infantile Pompe Disease Alison Breitbarth's son was the first baby in the state of Indiana to be screened for Pompe Disease and receive a positive result. She joins me to talk about the importance of newborn screening. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Where does your diagnosis journey begin? Ten days after my son Grant was born, I received a call about results from his newborn screening that indicated he was flagged for Pompe Disease and they were doing further testing. We met with the genetic counselor and learned Grant had the infantile onset form of Pompe Disease, which is the most severe form. Because he was diagnosed through newborn screening, he was able to receive his first infusion at three weeks old and never had a symptom of the disease before treatment. Today, he's doing really well. What is the current treatment for Pompe Disease? An infusion takes about 5 hours and Grant receives them once a week. He will receive his 55th infusion this week and will have them for the rest of his life, or until another treatment becomes available.  What questions do you get from your older son and how do you address them? We've always been honest with Connor, but not gone into much detail. He knows Grant needs medicine every week to keep him healthy. He hasn't asked a lot of questions, but he's starting to understand that everyone has different needs. For example, we've talked about how Connor has Hemophilia, so we have compared how he bruises easily and Grant doesn't.  What is it like integrating with the Pompe Disease community with a child who was diagnosed through newborn screening with immediate treatment options? There are other kids who were diagnosed through newborn screening, but had symptoms right away. The Pompe Disease community is amazing and I've connected with amazing parents who have given me the hope I've needed in the past year.  What are your plans for advocacy? We're in the beginning stages of starting a foundation to raise awareness, help with fundraising efforts for Pompe research, and help families who need assistance getting to see a specialist. International Pompe Day is April 15th and we hope to share more by then. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Seattle Rare Disease Fair www.rarediseasefair.com ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 119 - One of the Youngest Children to be Given Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy I with Kathryn Alexander https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-119-kathryn-alexander CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
May 12, 2022
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The Unique Expertise of a Genetic Counselor – Helping Rare Disease Individuals and Families Navigate Through Complex Emotions and Circumstances Like Guilt, Grief, and Shame with Mary-Francis Garber

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 133 The Unique Expertise of a Genetic Counselor - Helping Rare Disease Individuals and Families Navigate Through Complex Emotions and Circumstances Like Guilt, Grief, and Shame with Mary-Francis Garber Mary-Francis Garber is a Genetic Counselor who has a private practice where she offers support to patients and families affected by a rare disease diagnosis. We discuss emotional responses to grief, shame and guilt. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Where does your career in genetic counseling begin? I was fortunate to get into the program at Sarah Lawrence College, where the field of genetic counseling originated. I wanted to be a medical provider with a focus on helping people understand genetics. I also enjoyed the counseling side and focused my early career in high-risk obstetrics. I opened my personal practice to provide ongoing supportive care to patients, parents and families who are experiencing something related to genetics, during pregnancy, in pediatric settings or as adults.  How do you help a parent who feels an overwhelming guilt after their child is diagnosed? I sit with them, I'm present and I listen. Guilt is self-imposed and it's easy to get stuck in guilt and the early stages of depression after a diagnosis. Sometimes it takes time, but my hope is that someone can eventually see that the guilt they feel isn't necessarily the appropriate emotion. I remind patients to be good to themselves and to journal about why they feel guilt so they can take the feelings from their heart and head, put it on the paper and expel or release it. How is feeling ashamed different from guilt? Parents sometimes feel ashamed as a result of thoughts they've had about their child. We're all human and we have faults. When we're tired or overwhelmed, we have negative thoughts. Feeling ashamed, just like feeling guilty, isn't justified when you're trying to do your best.  What advice can you share for supporting someone who is going through a genetic diagnosis? My patients often don't want to share their news because they don't want to be pitied and they don't want to get questioned, especially when they can't answer a lot of questions themselves. Just be there, listen, reflect on what they say, validate their feelings and try not to bombard them with questions. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Listening Reflecting Healing listeningreflectinghealing.com Varient App  https://www.varientapp.com/ Once Upon a Gene TV https://www.thedisordercollection.com/ ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 114 - The Bravery of the Brokenhearted - A Big Brothers Perspective on Grief From the Loss of a Sibling with Sanfilippo Syndrome with Noah Siedman https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-114-noah-siedman National Society of Genetic Counselors nsgc.org TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene
by Once Upon A Gene
May 5, 2022
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Effisode – I Don't Like That

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
May 3, 2022
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Rare Disease Caregiving Post Childhood with Rare Mom and Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Advocate Karen McEwen

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 132 Rare Disease Caregiving Post Childhood with Rare Mom and Advocate Karen McEwen Karen McEwen has an 18 year old daughter with laryngeal cleft primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). Her and her daughter have been active advocates through speaking, writing and support groups. They're also fundraising for the PCD Foundation and working to get a PCD clinic at major hospitals in every state.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Tell us about your family and your daughter Elana. My daughter Elana is 18 years old and a freshman in college. She has a rare disease called primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). I have another daughter, Madison, who is 11 years old and she's healthy. When Elana was born, she coughed before she cried. The doctors said she had fluid in her lungs from birth and that it wasn't anything to worry about. Two days later, she went for a check-up and she was sent for an x-ray. Since then, she's suffered from repeated pneumonia, bronchitis, ear infections, sinus infections and other upper respiratory problems. Elana has had over 60 surgeries, has been hospitalized over 100 times and she's had to get hearing aids as a result of the disease. She's been so resilient through everything.  Is it difficult for kids to get diagnosed with PCD? The PCD Foundation has a goal of establishing a PCD clinic in every state. For a PCD diagnosis, the process of collecting samples is very precise and requires special equipment. Having a clinic in each state would provide easier access to diagnostic procedures. Elana and I have spoken at several hospital family day events, medical schools and at rare disease day hoping to spread awareness about PCD and ease the diagnosis journey for affected families. How have things changed with Elana being grown and away at college? I feel like I've been fired. Now that she's 18, she wants to take the lead on her own appointments. After taking her to hundreds of doctors appointments and being through all the hospitalizations, picking her up from school- it was weird to watch her pull out of the driveway and go to an appointment without me. What superpowers do you feel you have? I can learn a lot of new things and do things I never thought possible. Being on this journey with Elana, I've had to learn medical terms, learn how to care for her, research and figure out how to conduct fundraisers, speak at medical conferences and our state capitol. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED PCD Foundation https://pcdfoundation.org/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
April 28, 2022
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Kelley Coleman – Author of You will Feel Better – A Guidebook for Rare Disease Parents

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 131 Kelley Coleman - Author of You will Feel Better - A Guidebook for Rare Disease Parents Kelley Coleman is a mom and writer who is creating a series of books and other helpful resources for parents who are raising kids with disabilities. Be sure to tune in if you've been thinking about adding a service dog to your family because Kelley shares her experience of growing their family by one service dog named Heddie. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about your upcoming book release? The book is called You Will Feel Better which is an honest, real-life guide to doing life with a child with a disability. It's an actionable guide, a handbook that includes step-by-step questions and templates. My goal is to have my book in every doctor's office so when a family receives a diagnosis, there's a starting point for the parents.  What have you discovered you shouldn't waste your energy on? Google. If you are going to research things online on your own, be very focused, determine your best resources and know when to stop. I'm a compulsive list maker and it's helpful to make lists of what I can control and what I can't control. If something isn't controllable, let go of it so you can zero in on what you can control and what you want to be doing.  When did you become connected with the Undiagnosed Diseases Network and what has your experience been? We first connected with them through our geneticist. It's been a great opportunity for us to get genetic testing and connect with a community without a diagnosis. There's a possibility that dots can be connected by way of other families or doctors with such a far-reaching network. I believe if we are to get a diagnosis, the UDN is our path to get it. CONNECT WITH KELLEY Website https://www.kelleycoleman.com/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kelley.coleman.56 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/hellokelleycoleman/ LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Canine Companions https://canine.org/ Varient App  https://www.varientapp.com/ Undiagnosed Diseases Network https://undiagnosed.hms.harvard.edu/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
April 21, 2022
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Effisode – Gimme a Break, Spring Break

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
April 19, 2022
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A Rare Collection – Penny For Your Thoughts

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 130 A Rare Collection - Penny for your Thoughts There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Drie Barr, Physical Therapist A physical therapist is a movement therapist, an expert in body mechanics, movement pattern and providing diagnoses of the musculoskeletal system. While not an expert in language, Drie has learned through her experiences that communication is more than words strung together into sentences. Communication can present in the form of a variety of sounds, vocalizations, gestures, sign language, facial expressions, eye gaze, body language, laughter, tears and many other ways. In addition to her job diagnosing musculoskeletal impairments and teaching functional movement patterns, modern language skills are deeply intertwined and connected in the work. Movement is language and everyone has something to say. It's up to all of us to listen beyond words, to listen with the eyes and the heart.  Miaya Allen, Speech and Language Pathologist  Miaya has been a Speech and Language Pathologist for 16 years. Working with children with a variety of abilities and challenges has taught her about the power of resiliency and human spirit. Working with their families and caregivers has taught her the power of trust, patience and extending yourself grace. She shares her best advice with her patients' parents— Being a parent is the best and hardest job you will ever have, so enjoy the wins, try not to get stuck on the losses, and trust the process, be patient and extend yourself grace.  Sarah Putt, Podcaster and Founder of OT 4 Lyfe Sarah works as an Occupational Therapist in home-based early intervention. Going into a client's home makes for a unique and special experience, becoming familiar with where they live, but also meeting the people closest to them. Being aware of their daily routines makes supporting families easier when they need it. To all the parents and families out there who work with therapists in their homes, know this is more than a job to us. We do the work we do because it's who we are and it's a calling. Your child and your family touch our lives and forever change us.  Alissa Hughes, Rare Mom, Speech and Language Pathologist and Founder of Purposeful Play Everyday Being an SLP, that comes so naturally. Here is what I know. I love to read. I love to write. I love to rhyme and play and sing. Words, they are my everything. I love watching your kids grow and teaching you everything I know so you can teach them too. I love when the light bulb flickers and I can see they understand. I won't stop until they do. And if they still can't quite yet, I'll try something new. Again and again until the breakthrough. Because we all need to communicate and I'll do whatever it takes to share that gift with you. Gestures, sounds, pictures or signs. Or smiles in your eyes. You show me what works best and I will do the rest. It's just so black and white to me as your SLP. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED OT 4 Lyfe https://ot4lyfe.com/ Purposeful Play Everyday https://www.alissahughesslpllc.com/ Drie Barr - Napa Center https://napacenter.org/our-team/adrienne-barr/ Miaya Allen  https://www.linkedin.com/in/miaya-allen-824ab789
by Once Upon A Gene
April 14, 2022
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Self Care for Your Healthcare with Ehlers Danlos Patient and Miss Wheelchair Washington – Sarah Tompkins

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 129 Self Care for Your Healthcare with Ehlers Danlos Patient and Miss Wheelchair Washington - Sarah Tompkins Miss Wheelchair Washington, Sarah Tompkins has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), she does extensive rare disease advocacy work, and centers her messaging around her slogan- practice self care for your healthcare.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Tell us about your EDS journey and advocacy work. I'm an Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and chronic pain patient and rare disease, disability rights and invisible disabilities advocate. I've been fortunate to be able to advocate through the Rare Disease Legislative Advocates, Rare Disease Week and Rare Across America programs to grow my patient advocacy and gain confidence, validation and healing from hearing others' experiences. I've learned that being a patient advocate is part of my self care because while I'm advocating for others, I'm also advocating for myself, sharing my story and feeling heard. I encourage everyone to be their own best advocate in any way that's meaningful to them. Was there a time you didn't have the confidence to advocate for yourself? A few days after receiving a genetic diagnosis, I went to a support group and met a friend who taught me how to be my own best advocate and she really lit the torch for me. My friend later passed suddenly and unexpectedly as a result in large part to a lack of awareness and advocacy for EDS. That really lit a fire in me to continue advocating with the passion that was passed down to me. After a doctor disregarded my symptoms and concerns based on my appearance, it made me want to advocate more about EDS. Tell us about Miss Wheelchair. The Miss Wheelchair USA promotes glamour, self-confidence and community services celebrating accomplishments of women with disabilities. The Dane Foundation organizes the Miss Wheelchair pageant. Their mission is to provide for the unique needs of individuals with physical and developmental disabilities.  How do you pursue advocacy despite what you're going through? A recent surgery resulted in a more difficult and intense recovery than I expected. In needing more care giving than usual and feeling out of control of my own health, I realized the toll it took on my mental health. Through my Miss Wheelchair Washington message of practicing self care for your healthcare, I meant that to mean that as patients we may not realize we can be our own best caregivers and advocates. The same is true for caregivers who give so much of themselves to others and how hard it is to put their own self care first. Self care is important for everyone regardless of health, diagnosis and abilities. Everyone has the power to improve their self care by being their own best care givers and advocates by practicing kindness and compassion we'd offer others in our position, but sometimes struggle to give ourselves. CONNECT WITH SARAH Instagram @sarestthezebra https://www.instagram.com/sarestthezebra/ Email [email protected] [email protected] LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED 2022 CNP Virtual Family Symposium Registration  https://secured.societyhq.com/bch/2022/  The Dane Foundation http://www.thedanefoundation.org/ Miss Wheelchair USA https://www.mswheelchairusa.org/ Miss Wheelchair USA on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mswheelchairusa/ Sponsor Sarah’s Pageant (Sponsor Your Favorite National Finalist > Sarah Tompkins) http://thedanefoundation.org/eventsprograms/sponsormwusafinalists.html
by Once Upon A Gene
April 7, 2022
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Effisode – A Perfect Day for a Walk

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
April 5, 2022
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Sisters’ Hope Foundation President and Founder Heidi Edwards on Recognizing ALSP Symptoms and the Importance of Genetic Testing

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 128 Sisters’ Hope Foundation President and Founder Heidi Edwards on Recognizing ALSP Symptoms and the Importance of Genetic Testing Heidi Edwards, President and Founder of Sisters’ Hope Foundation, has a family history of adult-onset leukoencephalopathy with axonal spheroids and pigmented glia (ALSP). She's on a mission through the work of Sisters’ Hope Foundation to advocate and spread awareness for ALSP patients.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Where did your ALSP journey begin? Twenty years ago, my aunt was the first to become sick with what we know now was ALSP. We've since had five family members pass away from the disease. I've lost two sisters and started Sisters’ Hope Foundation to honor my sisters, my mom and her siblings, to raise awareness and educate people about ALSP and to connect people affected by the disease. My family now has two additional people who have been diagnosed with the CS1FR gene mutation. What is ALSP and what are the symptoms? ALSP is a rare, progressive neurological disease that causes changes to specific areas of the brain. Mutations occur in the CS1FR gene. It's an autosomal dominant genetic, which means a child of a parent with the gene has a 50% chance of inheriting the gene and contracting the illness. ALSP causes dementia and movement issues, and early onset symptoms include personality changes like depression, memory issues or seizures. As ALSP progresses, it causes movement issues, slow movement, difficulty walking, tremors or muscle stiffness. In early stages, it affects the left side of the body and the entire body with disease progression.  Can you tell us about ALSP Awareness Month? The month of March is ALSP Awareness Month, which is also my and my twin sister Holly's birthday month. Holly designated the entire month of March as our birthday month and we spent the time celebrating and having fun. March also signifies new beginnings with the start of Spring and joy of the longer days after the shorter, colder months. For all these reasons, I thought March was the perfect month for spreading ALSP awareness. This month we kicked off a campaign called Bridging the Gap in ALSP Awareness. We had four bridges lit up pink and purple in Massachusetts and we're contacting everyone in the neurology field to educate them and raise awareness of this rare disease that doesn't have a cure. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED 2022 CNP Virtual Family Symposium Registration  https://secured.societyhq.com/bch/2022/  Symposium Questions / Inquiries [email protected]  Sisters’ Hope Foundation https://sistershopefoundation.com/ ALSP Awareness Month https://sistershopefoundation.com/events/alsp-awareness-month/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
March 31, 2022
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Building a Different Kind of Motherhood Experience Than We Had Anticipated with CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder Mom and Founder of Art For Hope Love Cure, Marissa Bishop

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 127 Building a Different Kind of Motherhood Experience Than We Had Anticipated with CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder Mom and Founder of Art For Hope Love Cure, Marissa Bishop Marissa Bishop's son Gregory was born with CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder (CDD), a rare neurological disease that causes a variety of symptoms including seizures and cortical visual impairment. Marissa is a board member for the International Foundation for CDKL5 Research (IFCR) and started Art For Hope|Love|Cure to raise money for CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder research. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about Gregory? Gregory is almost 6 years old and my only child. He's handsome, laid back and a great snuggler! He lives with CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder (CDD), which is a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy. His brain is missing a protein essential for healthy brain function. Being his mom has challenged me in ways I never could have imagined, but he's a wonderful little boy. How did you connect with the rare disease community and get involved in advocacy? I asked our early intervention provider to help me connect with other moms who had kids that weren't typically developing. CDKL5 has a support group for parents on Facebook and I've been able to find friendships there with other moms who have sons that are Gregory's age.  Can you share about Art For Hope|Love|Cure? Gregory doesn't have a lot of functional finger skills or function vision, so doing toddler crafts wasn't practical, but what worked best to be creative was painting on canvas. I began using Gregory's creations to raise awareness and fundraise for CDKL5. I started Art For Hope|Love|Cure on social media, took the artwork to craft shows which helped me talk to people about CDKL5. The creative endeavor has been fun and has served multiple purposes- giving Gregory and I something special we do together, raise awareness and raise funds. I'm always in search of ways to embrace Gregory's rare disease and bring richness to our lives and this has brought a lot of joy to me. CONNECT WITH MARISSA Art For Hope|Love|Cure Website https://artforhopelovecure.wixsite.com/cdkl5 Instagram @artforhopelovecure https://www.instagram.com/artforhopelovecure/?hl=en Facebook @artforhopelovecure https://www.facebook.com/artforhopelovecure LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED CDKL5 Parents Support Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/CDKL5/ International Foundation for CDKL5 Research (IFCR)  https://www.cdkl5.com/ Beyond the Diagnosis https://www.beyondthediagnosis.org/ NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders) https://rarediseases.org/ ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 056 - Rare Leader Patricia Weltin, CEO, Beyond the Diagnosis https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-056-patricia-weltin-beyond-the-diagnosis NAC Rare Caregivers Guidebook https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ucr96wjmFGDFYqaKzrlkpDi_SAK4M7lA/view?usp=sharing TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
March 24, 2022
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Effisode – Grocery Store Answers

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
March 22, 2022
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A Rare Collection – Unexpected Findings

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 126 A Rare Collection - Unexpected Findings There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Katheron Intson Katheron started her PhD in basic neuroscience as a learning and memory researcher. She shares her experience of GRIN1 and how when patients became involved, her work transformed and unexpected findings resulted in advances for GRIN1 patients. Her experience helped develop a skillset which helped in the development of an app that helps users discover what treatments are helpful according to other user's data. Variant's goal is to connect families with better medication and to be a liaison between pharma and rare disease patients by proving the benefit from the development of new medicines and cures.  Caitlin Nichols Caitlin studied cancer biology in graduate school and investigated a potential strategy to treat cancer for her thesis. One of the challenges of chemotherapy is that it kills cancer cells, but also damages other tissue which leads to patient side effects. The ideal cancer treatment would target tumor cells specifically, leaving the rest of the body unaffected. Caitlin spent weeks preparing in the lab before testing an experiment. Despite ideal, expected data resulting from the experiment, there were some unexpected findings that came from her personal reflections.  Kim Aldinger As a scientist, Kim appreciates unexpected results. As a parent of twins with special needs, unexpected findings have been devastating. Kim's twins were born early at 33 weeks and 3 days. Most premature babies have a lazy eye that can be easily treated. But when Kim's daughter was 8 months old, she underwent a series of tests that revealed her daughter was expected to be blind- an unexpected finding that changed her life. TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
March 17, 2022
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A Very Rare and Very Real Adventure with DeSanto-Shinawi Syndrome Mom and Author of a Very Rare Adventure – Katie Lloyd

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 125 A Very Rare and Very Real Adventure with DeSanto-Shinawi Syndrome Mom and Author of a Very Rare Adventure - Katie Lloyd Katie Lloyd is a mama to Kasper, who has a rare genetic disorder called DeSanto-Shinawi syndrome and she's joining me to talk about postpartum depression and mental health. Be sure to check out her blog, A Very Rare Adventure. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about Kasper? Kasper is almost three years old and he has DeSanto-Shinawi syndrome. Kasper is most affected by hypotonia, he's non verbal, he has the dysmorphic facial features that are specific to the disease and developmental delays. Kasper had infantile spasms which aren't common for children with his syndrome, which makes him even more rare. When did Kasper begin experiencing infantile spasms? He was 9 months old when they started and we knew something wasn't right despite our pediatrician suggesting otherwise. We were able to record an episode and we sent it to the pediatrician who referred us to a neurologist. Following an EEG, he started anti-seizure medicine and the spasms went away within days. What has the rare disease journey been like for you so far? In the beginning, I became very exhausted due to a lack of sleep and being home all day with an unhappy baby. It was hard as a mom, not being able to solve the problem and knowing something wasn't right. I started feeling sad and crying all the time. Comparing experiences with my friends, I began wondering what I was doing wrong and thinking I wasn't made to be a mother. I can be gentler and more compassionate looking back now, but at the time it was very hard.  What has helped you have a sense of acceptance? Getting the diagnosis helped because before it, I felt so lost. I was stuck thinking it must be me, I must be doing something wrong or I was to blame, so having answers helped me to rationalize that and free myself from blame.  What is your advice for parents who are feeling the symptoms of anxiety or depression and feel ashamed to speak out? Don't hide it, find a friend or a support group to confide in. Talk to your doctor and seek out services. Just don't suffer in silence. CONNECT WITH KATIE Instagram @averyrareadventure https://www.instagram.com/averyrareadventure/?hl=en LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED A Very Rare Adventure Website https://averyrareadventure.com/ Rare and Relatable on Discord https://discord.com/invite/7UFUPAFs8K ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 117 - A Rare Collection - New Beginnings https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-117-new-beginnings TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
March 10, 2022
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Effisode – Moments

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
March 8, 2022
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Adapting and Collaborating to Help Bring a Cure to GSD1B with Sophie's Hope Foundation Founder and Dadvocate Jamas LaFreniere

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 124 Adapting and Collaborating to Help Bring a Cure to GSD1B with Sophie's Hope Foundation Founder and Dadvocate Jamas LaFreniere Jamas LaFreniere is the rad dad to Sophie, who has an ultra-rare glycogen storage disease called GSD1B. He’s also the founder of Sophie’s Hope Foundation and CureGSD1b.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Tell us about Sophie's diagnosis and the foundation you started. Sophie just turned 4 years old and was diagnosed with GSD1B just before she turned 2 years old. We started Sophie's Hope Foundation a couple months after diagnosis with the intention of leveraging our network to raise money. CureGSD1b is a patient advocacy organization which was started to bring together doctors, patients, researchers and collaborators.  How do you balance fatherhood, marriage and business?   It's hard and there's no way around that. My wife Margot is an incredible teammate and best advocate for Sophie. Margot takes a lot of pressure off me and I try to do the same for her and the balance works despite it being a strain. What has been a difficult experience on your journey to raise money and awareness for GSD1B? Making the pivot to start CureGSD1b came with a realization that I was responsible for driving a research plan, building a GSD network, collecting data and making impactful decisions. I had to acknowledge my strengths and weaknesses and remind myself that I'm doing my best to make progress.  What is your fundraising strategy? I don't enjoy fundraising, but the reason we're doing it is to cure my daughter and thousands of other kids. We do an annual golf tournament, which stabilizes us financially for the year. Having a lynchpin event is important because people will get burned out if you continually ask for money. The golf tournament will likely always be our flagship event and we can add other fundraising events throughout the year. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Once Upon a Gene TV https://www.thedisordercollection.com/ Courageous Parents Network https://courageousparentsnetwork.org/ Sophie’s Hope Foundation https://sophieshopefoundation.org/ CureGSD1b https://curegsd1b.org/ Support Margot in the 2022 Boston Marathon https://www.givengain.com/cc/sophieshope2022bostonmarathon/ ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 094 - The 12 Commandments to guide you when you're starting a rare disease patient advocacy group with Nasha Fitter and Mike Graglia https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-094-mike-and-nasha TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
March 3, 2022
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Figuring Out How to Infuse Meaning in the Days After the Loss of a Child and the Daunting Task of What the Hell to do Now with Liz Morris

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 123 Figuring Out How to Infuse Meaning in the Days After the Loss of a Child and the Daunting Task of What the Hell to do Now with Liz Morris Liz Morris is a guest blogger on the Courageous Parents Network and a fellow Seattle rare mom who lost her son Colson to mitochondrial disease in 2020.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS In your most recent blog, you spoke about obligation and purpose. How has your obligation as Colson's mom and as his full time caregiver changed as a mom now who has a lot of time. I loved being Colson's mom and thrived in the intense clarity of knowing how to care for him, keep him safe and advocate for him. I had other things to do, but it was all secondary to caring for Colson. Now that he's gone, I know how intensely and passionately I can focus on things and how meaningful that can be. Now that Colson is gone, my day can be dull and I'm trying to figure out how to direct the same level of energy and purpose into something useful, particularly for parents in the thick of caregiving.  Have you experienced a fundamental transformation as a rare disease mom and then after losing Colson? When Colson was alive, my world expanded and I learned a lot about non-normative ways of living and I learned of others living in those spaces. I've been trying to hold onto that expansive mindset. Grief will either crumble me, or this part of our story can expand my empathy, resilience and relationships.  Do you still want to associate with other rare parents? I want to stay connected to families in the rare disease community. When I spend time with friends with children like Colson, I feel close to him. I enjoy watching the community blossom and grow and seeing the level of support and care people have for each other. We started palliative care when Colson was 7 months old and I like to stay engaged and continue advocating for palliative care because it's a powerful and transformative resource.  What's the difference between your grief when Colson was alive and your grief after he passed? I had a lot of ambiguous grief when Colson was alive. I did a lot of active anticipatory grieving while he was alive, which helped me in the immediate aftermath of his death. I carried the grief I had before his death into the next phase of living without him. Palliative care really helped me through the decisions we made before he died. We feel that in the final moments when we had to make hard decisions, we were able to do so through an act of love, and our grief is mitigated in that we're not agonizing over our decisions.  LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Rare and Relatable on Discord https://discord.com/invite/7UFUPAFs8K Liz Morris - Courageous Parents Network https://courageousparentsnetwork.org/blog/author/liz-morris TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
February 24, 2022
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Effisode – The Unicorns – Random Acts of Kindness in the Rare Community

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
February 22, 2022
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A Rare Collection – This Is Us

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 122 A Rare Collection - This is Us There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Because of You Heather shares all the ways that she and her family are reminded of the bigger, more deeper meanings of life through, all thanks to her daughter Kate. Their faith has grown as they've learned to trust God more deeply and to let others help. Heather has learned to let go of her lifelong pursuit of perfection and the need to achieve. She's a better mother because she can let go of unrealistic expectations of herself. She's learned to be kinder to herself and how to define success differently. Kate's family is more grateful, more patient, more loving and more accepting of others. They have become part of a community who enriches their lives, supports them, and shows them how to advocate.   Reality Check One moment you're cruising around town with your seasonal cold brew from Starbucks, and the next, you're crying in the frozen food section of the grocery store. Katie shares that she feels this way everyday as a special needs parent to Mary Kate. After witnessing another mother shopping with her children, Katie's reality hit hard. Mary Kate may never be able to grocery shop, walk independently through a store, be able to grab stuff and place it in the cart, or be independent enough to have the experience of shopping for her own food. With support from fellow moms, Katie realized that Mary Kate is going to do what she wants, when she wants. She will continue to hit milestones, and Katie will be there to help every step of the way.  All of Us Brittany shares a story about her family and friends rallying around in support when her son Luca was hospitalized. Through a subsequent diagnosis, Brittany and her family have met therapists, specialists and doctors who serve as an amazing team and their community continues to grow. Their "us" is more than their family, more than their close friends— it includes the medical staff, therapy team and the other rare parents on the journey with them.  Our Village Sophia's village extends beyond her husband and five children. The whole family, the grandparents and the family's church community has rallied around Sophia's son Davis who has CTNNB1. Their family and those close to them are a village dedicated to Davis' success and to finding a cure. They share tears, they share laughs and they're all on this journey together. TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
February 17, 2022
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How the Caregivers Mental Health and Physical Well-Being are Impacted Right Alongside Our Rare Disease Kiddos with Advocate and Co-Founder of Hello Sleuth – Sehreen Noor Ali

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 121 How the Caregivers Mental Health and Physical Well-Being are Impacted Right Alongside Our Rare Disease Kiddos with Advocate and Co-Founder of Hello Sleuth - Sehreen Noor Ali Sehreen Noor Ali is the Co-Founder of Sleuth, a website that compiles stories and information from rare disease parents. It's a smart technology designed to identify resources, solutions and cures— a growing group of parents working together. Sehreen is talking with me about trauma resulting from medical uncertainty. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you share the medical trauma you've experienced? My youngest daughter was hospitalized for over two months after surgery and went into inpatient rehabilitation afterwards. Then she was hospitalized again for a second surgery before she could go home. I cultivated tools and resources upon learning my daughter was going to need surgery and they served me well. But after we got home and I started to fray at the edges, I realized I was traumatized by the experience. What most contributed to how you're feeling? I was not prepared. My daughter also lost her swallow function and is now completely g-tube fed, which wasn't supposed to happen. Reconciling that while trying to act normal has contributed to my trauma. What advice do you have for caregivers? The thing I believe in most is that the caregiving you're doing means something really meaningful to other parents on similar journeys. I hope Sleuth is a place people will consider sharing their story because we know how powerful and helpful it can be to share your story.  LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Rare and Relatable on Discord https://discord.com/invite/7UFUPAFs8K Sleuth Website https://hellosleuth.com/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
February 10, 2022
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Effisode – Bathroom Floor Moments

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
February 8, 2022
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What Happens Now – Baby Boy is a Medical Miracle After Being Treated for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 with Kathryn Alexander

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 120 What Happens Now - Baby Boy is a Medical Miracle After Being Treated for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 with Kathryn Alexander Kathryn Alexander joins me for a part two segment to further discuss her unique rare disease experience. Through newborn screening, her son Connor was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). It's one of the five percent of rare diseases that has a treatment and her son is among the youngest to receive it. She highlights the fear, isolation and guilt she feels as she moves beyond treatment. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS How did Connor's diagnosis and cure affect you emotionally? While you think you'd be relieved and thrilled to have a treatment so you could go on about your life, that wasn't my experience. He's living pre-symptomatically and he's able to do things that other children with his condition can't do, which is amazing. His therapy could last his whole life, but it also potentially couldn't. There are so many unknowns that it leaves me a nervous wreck and I don't have a sense of relief. I feel scared, confused and extremely isolated because no one else is in the position that I am. I also feel a lot of guilt that Connor received treatment when so many other children haven't. What advice do you have for parents who feel separated from the rare disease community? I like to practice the four A's- acknowledgement, acceptance, action and assessment. I think you have to abandon your definition of acceptance and redefine it for yourself. For me, acceptance is understanding something is true, it happened and it exists. Taking action helps me to feel like I'm making a difference, which helps me grieve, process and feel like I'm part of something even though I don't have a community of people around me who share my experience. This has helped me to make connections and has helped me in general. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Rare and Relatable on Discord https://discord.com/invite/7UFUPAFs8K ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 119 - One of the Youngest Children to be Given Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy I with Kathryn Alexander https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-119-kathryn-alexander ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 090 - Mental Health and chronic stress with Rare Disease Dad and Psychologist Al Freedman, Ph.D https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-090-rare-disease-dad-and-psychologist-al-freedman EveryLife Foundation https://everylifefoundation.org/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
February 3, 2022
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One of the Youngest Children to be Given Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy I with Kathryn Alexander

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 119 One of the Youngest Children to be Given Treatment for Spinal Muscular Atrophy I with Kathryn Alexander Kathryn Alexander is the mother of three kids and her rare disease story starts when she gave birth to twins and a newborn screening on her son came back positive for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). It's one of the five percent of rare diseases that has a treatment and her son is the youngest to receive it.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about your family? I am a mother of three little ones. I have a son named Jack who is 4 years old and twins who were born the first day of the pandemic lockdown in 2020. My twin son, Connor, was diagnosed with SMA Type 1 through newborn screening.  Did anyone educate you on opting into newborn screening? I didn't know that newborn screening existed or that my son was getting screened. No one talked to me about the newborn screening for all these rare diseases or the treatments that exist. Getting the screening is important because if you get a diagnosis and begin treatment right away, your child has the best chance for successful intervention. What do you hope to accomplish through sharing your story? I want Connor's story to help other people to understand the importance of doing newborn screening and seeking urgent treatment. There aren't currently uniform guidelines across the country for newborn screening and I don't understand the ins and outs of why, but I'm figuring out how to use Connor's story to contribute to change. I have strong feelings around sharing my experience and it helps me cope.  How did you process the birth of twins, the pandemic, Connor’s diagnosis and beginning treatment all at once? Losing someone close to me when I was younger helped me through my experience with Connor because I knew how to cope under extreme duress and I knew how to push and keep going. I keep my focus on the positive in situations and don't sweat the small stuff. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed https://www.amazon.com/Wild-Found-Pacific-Crest-Oprahs-ebook/dp/B005IQZB14 Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed https://www.amazon.com/Tiny-Beautiful-Things-Advice-Sugar/dp/0307949338 When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold Kushner https://www.amazon.com/When-Things-Happen-Good-People/dp/1400034728 When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chodron https://www.amazon.com/When-Things-Fall-Apart-Difficult/dp/1611803438 George Mumford Podcasts  https://georgemumford.com/press/ ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 101 - Finding Beauty and Connection When Raising a Medically Complex Kiddo with Melanie Dimmitt - Author of Special https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-101-melanie-dimmitt-m9dga ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 059 - Palliative Care & Courageous Parents Network with Founder Blyth Lord https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-059-blyth-lord Rare and Relatable on Discord https://discord.com/invite/7UFUPAFs8K The Disorder Channel https://www.thedisordercollection.com/ EveryLife Foundation https://everylifefoundation.org/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
January 27, 2022
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Effisode – Oh Goody – Anxiety is Visiting

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
January 25, 2022
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Ambiguous Medical Plans – How to Figure Out a System Even When it Seems Impossible with Parvathy Raman Krishnan

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 118 Ambiguous Medical Plans - How to Figure Out a System Even When it Seems Impossible with Parvathy Raman Krishnan Parvathy Krishnan joins me to discuss being an administrator for your kids and the uncertainty that stems from not having a care plan in place, like when you have an ultra-rare disease kid like she does. She has endured more than most on her rare parenting journey, yet she perseveres every day with courage to advocate and make a difference. To know her is to love her. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Tell me about your rare disease parenting journey. About 8 years ago, my son began experiencing bloody stool and he had his first colonoscopy at 6 years old. He had polyps in his colon, so he continued having colonoscopies to see if he improved. Genetic testing didn't reveal any answers. At 8 years old, he had his first major surgery, a proctocolectomy to remove his large intestine and rectum and he got an ostomy bag. Through additional genetic testing, it was revealed that he had a rare condition called Constitutional Mismatch Repair Deficiency (CMMRD). Because it's such a rare disease, there's no treatment or standard of care. My daughter was born around the time my son was having his first colonoscopy done. When she was 6 months old, we were told she had a genetic condition called Bardet-Biedl syndrome (BBS). Through her lifetime, she was identified to have three additional rare diseases and passed away at 4 years old.   What does it feel like when a doctor says they don't have an answer or don't know what to do? It feels honest. When they did genetic testing, we were told our son was the only patient with CMMRD in North Carolina. Then we went to Boston where we were told he was the only patient in the country. We went to Toronto where they run the largest research study on the condition and were told he was the only patient in the world. We realized it would be really difficult to put the puzzle pieces together with no other patients to fill the gaps. The condition is ultra rare and it's been difficult. Is there hope in not knowing? For us, knowledge is power. We didn't know the affected genes were in our family, but because of our children, five adults in our family now know they're carriers of the defective gene. It's powerful for them to have the information when planning for a family in the future. There’s hope in knowing because we can be proactive in our son’s treatment and screening. What resources have you discovered to be helpful to care of your family? It's okay to say no when you need to and ask questions before you say yes. My biggest support has been social media and connecting with other advocates that give me hope. We're all rare, but we're not that different. Our struggles and wins remain the same and in the end, we're all connected as patients or parents. Following others, despite their diagnosis or journey, helps me to keep things in perspective. Global Genes and Courageous Parents Network are both great resources and provide comfort as we move through grief. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Rare and Relatable on Discord https://discord.com/invite/7UFUPAFs8K The Disorder Channel https://www.thedisordercollection.com/ Global Genes https://globalgenes.org/ Courageous Parents Network https://courageousparentsnetwork.org/ CPN Family Podcast Series https://courageousparentsnetwork.org/podcasts EveryLife Foundation https://everylifefoundation.org/ CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
January 20, 2022
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A Rare Collection – New Beginnings

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 117 A Rare Collection - New Beginnings There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme. In this episode, guests share their stories of new beginnings. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Leah Moore In the spring, Leah and her family planted flowers in the garden, but only one flower grew. The single sunflower signified rebirth in the world, but also in the family. After the flower was damaged, someone surprisingly sent a new sunflower in the mail for the family to plant. The generous gift also fostered a realization about supportive friends and the meaning of new beginnings. Katie Lloyd Katie spent the prior year deep in the trenches of grief with no diagnosis for her son. She was overwhelmed and not coping well. The year was really hard with a raging pandemic that separated her from family and support. It wasn't long after her son finally received a diagnosis, that Katie was making friends with people in the rare disease community all across the world. With the new year, Katie spent time to process her emotions around what she had been through so she could let them go, moving forward, embracing a new beginning of hope for her family. Sean Baumstark Sean shares stories of starting over, including after a diagnosis of Friedreich Ataxia disease, which robs him of his ability to speak, write and walk. Through his experiences, it's apparent to Sean that things change, and that just as routine as the sun rises, new beginnings will come, but not always as you expect. But every new beginning is an opportunity to assess himself, what's important and how he wants to navigate change. What he makes of new beginnings is where the new happens, where discipline matters and where life gets exciting. Angela Rohaidy When you become a mom to a child with a genetic difference, you become several different people- the nurse, therapist, pharmacist and advocate. As a mom and caregiver, Angela's self care took a back seat to her daughter Eloise. This year is a new beginning with a focus on her daughter's needs, but also herself. TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
January 13, 2022
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Effisode – Rare Disease Day

by Once Upon A Gene
January 11, 2022
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A Dads Fight to Survive Cancer and the Heavy Burdens of Rare Disease with Luke Rosen

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 116 A Dads Fight to Survive Cancer and the Heavy Burdens of Rare Disease with Luke Rosen Luke Rosen is a dadvocate who founded the KIF1A organization to seek a cure for his daughter Susannah who was diagnosed with KIF1A. Luke shares personal details about his recent medical difficulties and opens the raw dialogue around what happens when a caregiver dies.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about your daughter and the KIF1A diagnosis? Susannah was diagnosed at two years old with KIF1A and at the time we could only find about 15 people in the world and in literature who had the disease mutation. KIF1A is a neurodegenerative disease with no treatment or cure. We knew we had to find more kids, so my wife Sally and I started the KIF1A organization to pull a community of patients, researchers and clinicians together.  Can you share about the medical difficulties you're personally facing? About 9 months ago, I thought I had kidney stones, which I had before. I took medication, got better and then I couldn't get out of bed one day because I was in so much pain. I went in for a CAT scan and I discovered that I had perforated diverticulitis. I had surgery, experienced some complications and went home after 5 days in the hospital. When I went back for my postoperative follow up appointment, the doctor told me a lot of cancer was removed during the surgery and that I had stage 3 colon cancer. I immediately started to think of Susannah and the research I was doing for her, wondering what would happen when I died.  As a man and dad, do you identify with keeping struggles to yourself or internalizing feelings?   I understand the idea of men going it alone, dealing with things independently, but I don't handle things that way. I always go to my father because he makes me a better father through his advice and guidance. My rocks to lean on are my father, my brother and my wife Sally and without them, I couldn't deal with everything myself. I think it's important to check in with yourself and remind those you love to check in with you too. What would you share with other parents who can relate to your story? For parents of rare disease kids, plan ahead and find a focused community so that if a storm does hit, the team of people around you can keep seeking treatment for your child without you. If you do that, you can relax a little, survive and enjoy the time you have left knowing the work will forge ahead.  LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED KIF1A Website https://www.kif1a.org/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
January 6, 2022
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Create Conversation, Community, and Change with Author of Loving You Big – Leah Moore

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 115 Create Conversation, Community, and Change with Author of Loving You Big - Leah Moore Leah Moore won a prestigious award for being teacher of the year in New York, she's the author of the memoir Loving You Big, and she's the parent of three kiddos, one of which was diagnosed with Cri du chat syndrome. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you share about yourself and your family? I am a high school English and theater teacher in New York and I live in Westchester, which is north of the city with my three kids and my husband. Our ten year old daughter Jordan has a rare diagnosis called Cri du chat which is a deletion of the fifth chromosome. We also have twin boys who are now six, one which has an unnamed disability and the other has Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), which is a rare autoimmune disease.  You talk about loving the disability out of Jordan. Was that the inspiration for your book?  I started writing because my students were doing a personal narrative assignment and they were struggling. To show them how to do it, I wrote what was intended to be a silly example, but what poured out of me was a piece about the irony of language and how I have words and Jordan doesn't. When I read it to them, I realized I was holding on to stories I needed to tell.  What ideas do you have for people to become inclusion allies? It starts with avoiding staring at the playground, asking how to help, asking a person's name and asking someone to play. Saying hi is an easy first step.  How can we balance chronic stress with joy?  I personally believe that if we only stay in a negative place, it can color everything. I had to work at how to let it out. For me, it's through writing, through connecting to the people in my circle who I don't feel judgment from, or through watching Netflix on the couch. You have to do the work to figure out where you can let it out safely. I don't quite know the formula, I just know it's imperative.  How are you and your husband intentional about tending your marriage?  I think of the days of diagnosis and medical fears as the triage days. One of the fires I needed to put out was not my husband because he was able to take care of himself. And I realized at some point, we were just raising each other's children and our conversations were about milk and epilepsy medication. So I think it's a combination of three things- not taking on too much myself, having a life outside our children, and tapping into each other's humor. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Loving You Big Website https://lovingyoubig.com/ Spotlight Series https://lovingyoubig.com/spotlight-series/ Loving You Big book on Amazon shorturl.at/brzP8 Emotional Agility book on Amazon shorturl.at/jGL19 TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
December 30, 2021
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Effisode – The Kindness of Strangers

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
December 28, 2021
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The Bravery of the Brokenhearted – A Big Brothers Perspective on Grief From the Loss of a Sibling with Sanfilippo Syndrome with Noah Siedman

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 114 The Bravery of the Brokenhearted - A Big Brothers Perspective on Grief From the Loss of a Sibling with Sanfilippo Syndrome with Noah Siedman Noah Siedman was a big brother to Ben who had Sanfilippo Syndrome, a devastating disease that leads to childhood dementia and premature death. He joins me to talk about his sibling experience and dealing with grief. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS As a sibling under potential pressure to not be a burden, do you still carry those feelings even after Ben's passing? It's hard as a sibling to see everything your parents are facing that's out of your control. As a sibling, there's a need to be on top of your own care and your own emotions. There were no casual complaints in my family growing up. It was either a disaster or business as usual. Filling in that middle space where you have a bad day and want to talk about it didn't exist. We've had to work on that as a family because that's not how we've functioned.  What coping mechanisms help you to write and talk about your experience? I came to the realization that I was going to be emotionally vulnerable, which is uncomfortable. Knowing I would have to talk about my experience and brother, I had to accept it, put it out front, and get really good at talking about it comfortably. I got more comfortable talking about the progression of my brother's disease and my feelings around him, and I used it as a shield.  What would you say to the young person who is living the same life you were living and what questions should people ask that person? The first thing that I would say, and maybe the best thing to ask that person, is about their roles. When do you feel like a sibling? When do you feel like a caregiver? When do you feel like you're an advocate? When do you feel like you are just you? I got stuck in trying to be a lot of those things at once, where the easiest role to ignore was being just me. But everything you push down morphs into something worse. Frustration turns into resentment, fear turns into trepidation, sadness becomes melancholy.  What are the misconceptions people have about death? The biggest problem with grief is that no amount of experience is applicable. It defies the ability to be prepared for it or to use your past to help you cope. I don't think grief gets easier, I think you get better at it. Those that try to give advice to people that are grieving are hanging on to the idea that that time will heal. It's not that your grief goes away, it's that you get better at it. How has your relationship with your sister changed? Ben's death brought us closer and we do a good job of communicating despite handling things differently. There's no right or wrong way to navigate life with a sibling who has a genetic disorder, so we don't judge each other and we're honest with each other.  As a parent, how do you help siblings to have a better experience? Abandon the idea that you owe siblings normalcy. My parents put a lot of effort into delivering normal childhood experiences. Instead, put that energy into helping your children articulate what they want. More important than chasing normal is helping siblings decide what's important to them and how to pursue it. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 109 - A Rare Collection - What I Know For Sure with Noah Siedman, Grayson Skibington and Nash Hawkins https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-109-what-i-know-for-sure CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
December 23, 2021
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A Rare Collection – Lullabies

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 113 A Rare Collection- Lullabies There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme. In this episode, grandparents share their lullaby stories. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Maria In the classic lullaby, Hush Little Baby, when an item is broken, the mama will make it better. But there are things that a mama (or a grandma) can't fix. Emma was diagnosed at 6 months old and her parents’ and grandparents’ hopes and dreams went dark. The grief was all-consuming. There's no way to fix Emma, but her love is pure and perfect and her smile can light up the darkest night. Emma doesn't need to hush and grandma doesn't need to fix, but just be next to Emma along her journey.  Duane When Emma was born, her grandfather, better known as her grandpopotamus, held her on his shoulder and sang the lullaby, Go to Sleep. Emma loves music and her grandfather brings her joy through singing. He strives to find the joy and light in Emma's world so he can broaden it and ensure she enjoys her life to the fullest.  Mariana When her first child was born, Mariana realized she didn't know any lullabies. After her son had an accident, she learned the words to Hush Little Baby and sang it to comfort him in the hospital. As a grandmother, she continues singing Hush Little Baby to her grandchildren when she tucks them into bed. A lullaby isn't about how pretty your voice is, it's about your heart sharing comfort, care and love to a child that you get back a million times over. Poppy When taking care of his granddaughter Sloan, Poppy sang A Bushel and a Peck as he put her to bed. He sang that song to his own children hundreds of times, but this time was different. Sloan had just been diagnosed with a rare degenerative genetic disorder. The future will bring uncertainty and hardship. As Poppy sang, feelings of panic, worry and hopelessness took over. He loves her so much- a bushel and a peck. Alice Elijah is beating the odds, proving he has a purpose, blessing and encouraging every person he meets. His grandma has a message for him- to never stop singing his song, never stop dancing and never forget how much he is loved. TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
December 16, 2021
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Effisode – The Magic of Friendship at the North Pole

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
December 14, 2021
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Being Mindful of the Sibling Experience with Founder of We Are Brave Together – Jessica Patay

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 112 Being Mindful of the Sibling Experience with Founder of We Are Brave Together - Jessica Patay Jessica Patay has three kids- one born with prader-willi syndrome. She joins me today to discuss the relationship and complexity of sibling's experiences and how she navigates the extra layer of parenting. She founded a nonprofit called We Are Brave Together, which hosts the Brave Together podcast. We Are Brave Together provides respite, community and mentoring for mothers raising children with disabilities and medical complexities. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about yourself and your family? I've been married to my husband Chris for over 24 years and we have three kids. Luke is 21, Kate is 16, and Ryan is 18 and has prader-willi syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.  What was it like having a child with a rare genetic disorder before there was connection through social media? I tried to keep up with email and chat groups, but I got overwhelmed with and would only pop in chats periodically to see what people were posting. I didn't know the beautiful connections I was missing like what you can form today. My husband and I joined prader-willi support groups, found our people very early in the journey, and we were able to create a tribe without the presence of social media.  What were your fears or hopes when having a third child? Ryan was an easy baby and it left us wanting another child. We thought about Luke a lot and wondered if he'd grow up feeling like an only child. We wanted him to have another sibling and we wanted another child ourselves.  Have Luke and Kate had to grow up faster than most kids? They've experienced crisis after crisis. They're amazing human beings who are resilient, wise, patient, loving and compassionate. It's really hard for siblings. We have tried, but there's no way of fully compensating for what they go through. Do you discipline all of your kids equally? Each kid is different, but Kate and Luke have been disciplined differently than Ryan because consequences don't work. I discipline on principle to demonstrate to Luke and Kate that Ryan does still have consequences despite them not changing his behavior. Can you tell us about We Are Brave Together? We are a 501c3 organization I launched in 2017 with the intent to combat the isolation and compassion fatigue that moms of children with disabilities or challenges face. Our focus is moms and we offer support groups, educational workshops, retreats and respite scholarships. We also launched a podcast, Brave Together. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED We Are Brave Together Website https://www.wearebravetogether.com/ Brave Together Podcast https://www.wearebravetogether.com/podcast.html TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
December 9, 2021
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The Importance of Newborn Screening in Every State with ALD Alliance Founder Elisa Seeger

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 111 The Importance of Newborn Screening in Every State with ALD Alliance Founder Elisa Seeger Elisa Seeger lost her son Aidan as a result of Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) disease. As she was sitting next to his hospital bed researching this awful disease, she learned of a newborn screening test for ALD which wasn't being utilized. Since Aidan has passed away, Elisa has been determined to ensure the ALD newborn screening test is used in every state. Thanks to her advocacy, New York and 24 other states are now testing. Now her efforts extend beyond ALD and she's working to get all diseases with a viable treatment available to be on newborn screening tests across the country. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about Aidan? Aidan was born in 2004, perfectly healthy, giant blue eyes, full of life, and we had no reason to believe anything was wrong with him. He was walking at 10 months old, did well in school and played sports. In first grade, he started having some vision problems which prompted a diagnostic odyssey going from ophthalmologists to pediatric ophthalmologist to retina specialists and back to his pediatrician who recommended we see a neurologist. The neurologist didn't think anything was wrong, but ordered an MRI, and when the results of the MRI came back, Aidan was diagnosed with Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). ALD is an X-linked inherited metabolic condition, which most severely affects boys and men. Aidan was diagnosed with a cerebral form of ALD, which is the most severe. We began our mission to try to save his life, but he lost his life on April 29, of 2012.  Where is the gap of having a screening test for ALD and the fact that not one state in the country was using it on newborns? That's what I've been working on and putting all of my efforts into. There are currently four conditions on the federal recommended uniform screening panel that are not being screened for nationwide. Those include MPS-1, Pompe, ALD and SMA. I've realized the primary reason why states don’t move forward is because they don't have the funding to do so. There are currently only 17 states testing for all the conditions. My efforts have been focused on trying to get appropriations from the federal government to go directly to the states so this problem can be fixed. We're asking for  $15 million a year for every state to become Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP) compliant by 2025.  How has leading this crusade helped in the grieving process? I'm grateful to have so many families in my life that I've met along the way and I feel they've all been touched by Aidan.  How can people help in these efforts and what can they do in their own states? If anyone is interested, please reach out to me and I can share a one pager that explains what we're doing and where all the states stand. I need all the help I can get.  What has been a moment in your work over the last several years that's made you feel the closest to Aidan's memory? The signing of his law which was 11 months to the day of his passing and was very spiritual for me. I know he had his hand in that. I get frustrated at times, but little signs from Aidan keep me going. CONNECT WITH ELISA Email  [email protected] ALD Alliance Website https://www.aldalliance.org/ LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Once Upon a Gene on Clubhouse https://www.clubhouse.com/club/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
December 2, 2021
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Effisode – Grief and Joy are Mingling this Holiday Season

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
November 30, 2021
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Turkey Soup for the Soul and Stories About Rare Unicorns Who Show Up in Our Lives with Tyra Skibington and Tracey Beckett

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 110 Turkey Soup for the Soul and Stories About Rare Unicorns Who Show Up in Our Lives In this special Thanksgiving episode, Tyra Skibington and Tracey Beckett share stories of rare unicorns— people who go above and beyond in the rare disease community. Sam's Day A story of a Christmas tree farmer named Ted who makes it possible for kids to spend a day on the farm with their families, enjoying wheelchair accessible hayrides, hot chocolate, and choosing their special Christmas tree. A Beautiful Gift A friend offered a stay at her ski resort condo over the New Year holiday. It was a beautiful gift and was just what the family needed to slow down, recharge, heal and connect.  Craig When a family is blessed with a vehicle when they need it most, a chain of giving follows, bringing this story of generosity and kindness full circle. A Lesson in Friendship When a new girl moves into the neighborhood, her mother shows her the value and importance of being a good friend.  Our Daughter Harper A story of Dr. Harper, who went above and beyond when a couple received an in-utero diagnosis. She helped them through their early diagnosis with kindness, empathy and respect. A Little Goes a Long Way Surrounded by medical staff, two in particular go above and beyond and stand out among the rest. It's the little things like good coffee and a special visit that make a hospital stay a little better for Jordan and her mom. Darby's Birthday Every year, a Certified Education Assistant delivers a custom jacket to Darby on her birthday which has been modified to be easily worn.  A New Bike A story of angels gifting money to build a bike made especially for Ford. The donated bike makes Ford happy, but has also helped Ford to build muscles in his legs. Abby's Blessings A true unicorn friend, Abby's thoughtfulness, wisdom, kind and energetic spirit blesses those around her. LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED Move 2 Advocate https://move2advocate.com/ Freedom Concepts https://www.freedomconcepts.com TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
November 25, 2021
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A Rare Collection – Rare Disease Storytelling – What I Know For Sure with Noah Siedman, Grayson Skibington and Nash Hawkins

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 109 A Rare Collection - What I Know For Sure with Noah Siedman, Grayson Skibington and Nash Hawkins There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme. Big brothers Noah Siedman, Grayson Skibington and Nash Hawkins share their sibling stories.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Noah Siedman I'm afraid of losing my memories with my brother as I grow older. I'm afraid of letting his importance to me diminish in light of all of the new experiences that I get to have in his absence. My brother was a brilliant soul. His life meant growth,  understanding and love for everyone. My name is Noah Seidman. My brother Ben had a rare genetic disorder called Sanfilippo syndrome and passed away seven years ago. I know for sure that I love my brother. And I know that I'm slowly figuring out how to be okay despite not knowing a lot else for sure.  Grayson Skibington My sister Darby is two years younger than me and her diagnosis of Pallister-Killian syndrome is all I've ever known. For the first few years of my life, I was in the hospital a lot as the brother of a medically complex sister. I don't remember those days of course, but I have a scrapbook of pictures of me licking popsicles at the hospital. What I knew for sure back then, was patience equals popsicles. At age 17, I adapted to our family life by helping the best way I could. I stayed out of trouble, I did as I was asked, and I was positive and cheerful when the house needed it. Being a rare disease sibling can be complicated and messy. It can also be easy and wonderful. I don't take much for granted. I appreciate a helping hand and I will always be grateful for popsicles. Nash Hawkins Other homes don't have revolving doors of therapists. Other families go to restaurants and movies. We don't. However, my friends don't have a sister like mine who finds wonder in the mundane and whose belly laughs fills the room with joy, or a nonverbal brother who speaks volumes with his hugs and soul piercing stairs. Life with my siblings can be complicated and chaotic. Life with my unique family has taught me great things. I'm adaptable and resilient. Change, challenge and chaos do not faze me. I'm patient and empathetic. Because of my siblings, I recognize that disability is a diversity that colors our world in beautiful ways. RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED https://courageousparentsnetwork.org/ https://curesanfilippofoundation.org/what-is-sanfilippo/ https://www.fam177a1.com https://siblingsupport.org/sibshops/ https://pkskids.net/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
November 18, 2021
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Effisode – Find the Connection

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
November 16, 2021
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Finding Hope From Diagnosis to Action – LMNA Related Congenital Muscular Dystrophy – Hannah Lowe

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 108 Finding Hope: From Diagnosis to Action - LMNA Related Congenital Muscular Dystrophy - Hannah Lowe Hannah Lowe is the President and Co-Founder of the L-CMD Research Foundation. Her son Austin has a rare form of muscular dystrophy (L-CMD) caused by a genetic mutation and she's urgently working to find a cure for her son and other kids like him.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about your children? I have two sons— Ean who is four and Austin who is two. Last year, Austin was diagnosed with a rare disease resulting from a randomly occurring genetic mutation. He was about 6 months old when he was diagnosed. Austin wasn't gaining weight, so after 6 months he was admitted to the hospital to get a feeding tube to aid in nutrition. He was in the hospital for three weeks while they ran a series of tests to find the underlying cause of his low weight. Every test came back clear until the genetic tests came back. That's when it was discovered that Austin has a single point mutation on the LMNA gene which results in L-CMD, which is a rare form of muscular dystrophy. What did you do after you got Austin's diagnosis? After getting a new routine worked out, we turned our attention to figuring out what we can do. We started making connections, talking to everyone and gathering information. L-CMD has a fair amount of research happening for the gene itself because genetic mutations of the gene cause about 12 other diseases. Through networking, we connected with a group of other rare disease families working on treatments and cures for their own rare diseases. With some helpful connections, we took baby steps to start a nonprofit. What roadblocks have you hit and what would you do differently? The biggest roadblock is expectation versus reality. When we first started, researchers told us the pace of research is slower than the progression of the disease. We didn't accept that, but it has been a big mindset shift to know this is in fact the case. CONNECT WITH THE L-CMD RESEARCH FOUNDATION L-CMD Research Foundation Website https://www.lcmdresearch.org/ L-CMD Research Foundation on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lcmd.foundation/ L-CMD Research Foundation on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LCMD.foundation L-CMD Research Foundation on Twitter https://twitter.com/foundationlcmd RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED Discord Chat https://discord.com/invite/7UFUPAFs8K ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 104 - A Rare Collection- Stories of Courage with Felix Townsin, Erica Jolene Stearns, Mahrynn McLaughlin and Brianna Colquitt https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-104-rare-collection-courage Givebutter https://givebutter.com/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
November 11, 2021
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The Joy Doesn't Need to be Ambiguous Even Though The Grief is with Rare Merrf Disorder Mom – Jessica Fein

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 107 The Joy Doesn't Need to be Ambiguous Even Though The Grief Is - Rare MERRF Syndrome Mom Jessica Fein Jessica Fein is the mom to three children. Her middle child, 15 year old Dalia, has MERRF Syndrome, a rare form of mitochondrial disease. This degenerative disease has affected her being able to talk, walk or eat like she was able to do when she was younger. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you share a little bit about your children? We adopted three children from Guatamala— Jojo, Dalia and Theo. Dalia's birth mother is the only mother we've met. The first time we met her was when we went to adopt Dalia. A couple years later when we went back to Guatamala to adopt Theo, Dalia's birth mother wanted to meet with us. In just two years, her health had declined, but they weren't sure why. Years later when Dalia was diagnosed with MERRF Syndrome, we learned the condition is maternally inherited and what had made her birth mother so sick in such a short period of time.  What has Dalia's diagnostic journey been like? At first, Dalia developed normally. At about two years old, her speech was delayed and her toddling was wobbly. I was reassured she was fine, I'd call for early intervention again and we repeated this cycle for a while. Finally a doctor agreed to do a hearing test, which showed mild to moderate hearing loss and Dalia had to get hearing aids. Since Dalia was adopted, we weren't sure of the root cause of her hearing loss, so we did genetic testing. With the blood work results, Dalia's disease was immediately identified as myoclonic epilepsy with ragged red fibers (MERRF). When you imagined your family's future after adopting three children and then it changed so drastically with Dalia's diagnosis, what truths did you realize? I re-imagined my dreams once when we weren't able to have biological children. I was able to embrace a new dream and realize that in many ways adopting would be more interesting and adventurous. The re-imagining still unfolds because things continue to change with a degenerative disease. There's a sadness that for a long time, I didn't give myself permission to feel. More recently I became familiar with the idea of ambiguous grief— when you're grieving someone who is still alive or you're grieving parts of a person who is no longer here. It was freeing for me to understand I was grieving what I thought her life was going to be and what our lives were going to be. How has the experience of being Dalia's mom helped you find purpose? I feel committed to sharing Dalia's story and our story. Doing that has given me a lot of perspective and purpose. Part of my purpose is talking about it, raising awareness, sharing what I've learned and helping those who aren't as far along in their diagnosis journey. Dalia is such an amazing person and I want people to know her story. RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED Once Upon Gene TV - Disorder Channel https://www.thedisordercollection.com/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
November 4, 2021
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Effisode – Cinderella, Cinderella

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
November 2, 2021
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Rare Book Club with Co-Host Patti Hall – Featuring Heather Lanier and Her Book, Raising a Rare Girl

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 106 Rare Book Club with Co-Host Patti Hall - Featuring Heather Lanier and Her Book, Raising a Rare Girl Fellow rare moms, Patti Hall and Heather Lanier have shared their journeys in their memoirs. Patti is the author of Loving Large, a story about her experience raising her son who was diagnosed with a rare disease called acromegaly, also known as gigantism. Heather is the author of Raising a Rare Girl, about her daughter who has Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS What is the synopsis of the book, Raising a Rare Girl? I start the book talking about a phenomenon called super baby, which is a pressure in pregnancy culture to make a superbaby— a totally healthy prenatal environment encouraged by medicine and the culture at large. Fiona was born full term, but really small at 4 lbs.10oz and no one initially knew why. Three months later it was discovered that Fiona had an ultra-rare syndrome known as Wolf-Hirschhorn. I talk in the book about how I processed the diagnosis and what it meant to have a child with questionable development, how to advocate for Fiona and how to help her carve her way into the world.  How did you arrive at beautiful acceptance? When someone would say something or make me feel like Fiona was broken, I looked to her and I saw that she was the most miraculous being in my life. Despite the noise around her, I knew Fiona was amazing. I returned to what I knew to be true of her and allowed her to be the light she is.  Did you receive responses from anyone outside of the rare community who read your book? I get notes and emails from parents who thank me because they're early in their diagnosis journey and it serves as a roadmap. I appreciate the reviews from readers who are outside the world of parenting a disabled kid, like a teacher who said she thought she was open to her students, but realized she had a lot of work to do.  Did you have a moment when you realized the experts were asking you for advice? I write about a time when Fiona had a fever and I thought we may need to see an immunologist. I'm waiting for the doctor, who was a very good doctor, to make the same conclusion. He turned to medical literature, struggling to spell Wolf-Hirschhorn, looking for anything about the immune system as it relates to the malformation. I knew kids with the syndrome often needed immune support and that was the moment when he started to trust me more.  RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED Episode 033 - Loving Large: A Mother's Rare Disease Memoir https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-33-loving-large Loving Large: A Mother's Rare Disease Memoir https://www.amazon.com/Loving-Large-Mothers-Disease-Memoir/dp/1459746368 Raising a Rare Girl  https://www.amazon.com/Raising-Rare-Girl-Heather-Lanier/dp/0525559639 TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
October 28, 2021
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Raising a Son with Batten Disease and the Importance of Never Giving Up with Project Sebastian Founder Christopher Velona

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 105 Raising a Son with Batten Disease and the Importance of Never Giving Up with Project Sebastian Founder Christopher Velona  Christopher Velona is a rare dad on a mission, driving the goals of Project Sebastian. He joins me to share open, honest and vulnerable experiences from his life since his son Sebastian was diagnosed with Battens disease. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about your family? I have two boys, ages 16 and 18, Gage and Sebastian. Sebastian has a rare disease called Batten disease variant CLN8. As a result of seizures, we were misdiagnosed with epilepsy. When Sebastian later had an onset of issues unrelated to epilepsy such as tripping, speaking, difficulty seeing and fine motor skill loss, we were referred for genetic testing and the diagnosis of Batten disease was confirmed.  What did you do with the diagnosis? I did everything the doctor said not to do. I went to WebMD and Google, scouring the internet for Batten disease and reading all the horrible stories online. I was also going through a divorce at the time and I was very angry, sad, resentful and lost. As the diagnosis only further drove us apart, I didn't have the support of a partner.  What has helped you transition into being a single dad and managing Sebastian's diagnosis? I had the support of my family and friends. I'm sober from drugs and alcohol for almost 26 years and I believe in Alcoholics Anonymous, applying the twelve steps to my daily life. With life-changing news, I had to really rely on my tools or face depression. I didn't want to believe it and it was challenging, which led to depression. I used the steps, went to meetings and was able to pull myself out of the depression. I found a mom that gave it to me straight- Kristen Gray from Charlotte and Gwenyth Gray Foundation. She has two children with Batten disease CLN6. She's been a great friend and great support system.  Can you tell us about Project Sebastian? Currently, there's no cure for Batten disease, but there are treatments available to prolong the life of the child. Project Sebastian makes a lot of noise, attacking advocacy and research efforts from all sides. I called my government officials and we co-authored Senate Joint Resolution 25 for Batten Disease Awareness Weekend, which went through the California State Senate and House and unanimously passed. As a result, the first weekend in June is Batten Disease Awareness Weekend for the state of California. RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED Charlotte and Gwenyth Gray Foundation https://www.curebatten.org/ Neurogene https://www.neurogene.com/ Project Sebastian Website https://www.projectsebastian.org/ TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
October 21, 2021
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Effisode – Two Disabled Dudes

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
October 19, 2021
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A Rare Collection – Rare Disease Storytelling with Felix Townsin, Erica Jolene Stearns, Brianna Colquitt, and Mahrynn McLaughlin

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 104 A Rare Collection- Stories of Courage with Felix Townsin, Erica Jolene Stearns, Mahrynn McLaughlin and Brianna Colquitt There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme. Felix Townsin, Erica Jolene Stearns, Mahrynn McLaughlin and Brianna Colquitt share stories of courage. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Felix Townsin The day his sister lost her life to Blau Syndrome, Felix thought his world was over. Courage is the ability to do something that scares you or to have strength in the face of grief and pain. Felix knows he's learned to be courageous from Lexi, and he's learned that courage is moving through the pain with no shortcuts.  Erica Jolene Stearns Erica learned courage at a young age. As she grew, having courage meant going to the swimming pool with trach tape covering her trach, assuming the risk of diving into the water, and answering inquiries about her scars. She frequently found courage in herself when confronted by bullies. It took courage to ignore them and strength to persevere through the pain, facing the bullies again and again every day. In adulthood, courage was wrong with her child and saying it over and over again when she felt no one was listening.  Mahrynn McLaughlin Mahrynn shares a lesson from improv class. Leaning into living with her disability, Mahrynn sometimes feels too much or too little. In living with and not despite disability, she's learning to live courageously.  Brianna Colquitt Brianna used her training in CPR when she found her neighbor unconscious. She researched the heart, the signs and symptoms of a heart attack, which later helped her to quickly notice the signs in her dad. Through these experiences, she began working with the American Heart Association and has pursued a career in nursing. TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
October 14, 2021
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How We Can Balance and Understand the Unique Struggles We Face with Caregiver Fatigue, Compassion Fatigue, and Decision Fatigue with Counselor Rose Reif

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 103 How We Can Balance and Understand the Unique Struggles We Face with Caregiver Fatigue, Compassion Fatigue and Decision Fatigue with Counselor Rose Reif Rose Reif is a therapist with over 20 years experience specifically tailored to those with disabilities and caregivers and she's back to share her knowledge about the three types of fatigue we face and how we can find more balance. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS What can we do as caregivers when the things we're doing for ourselves aren't enough? Ask someone devoted to you and ask what they see you doing that could be delegated to someone else. Usually it's not the things you're doing for yourself that's a problem, but it's the things you're doing to maintain everyone else. While we as humans like routine, we also get bored easily, so consider if the things you're doing for yourself aren't fulfilling or valuable anymore.  How do you handle potentially negative feedback if you get it? I encourage people to think of their lives as a compelling story where they're the hero. If we think of all the heroes we love, the characters have a guide and every hero needs a guide and truths along the way. Remember there's a reason you've gotten to the point you are where you're burned out and tired and acknowledge the greatness of having people in your life who speak honestly and make suggestions.  Can you explain what self care is? It's not the weekend mountain retreat doing yoga. Self care is boring. Self care is sitting down and doing a budget at the beginning of the month so you have accountability, can make wise decisions for yourself and avoid money stress through the month. Self care is brushing your teeth, making yourself doctor's appointments and committing to little acts through the day to care for yourself.  What is compassion fatigue? Compassion fatigue is when you experience a secondary traumatization, spending so much time with people who have gone through traumatic events that a person inherits the trauma experience. Compassion fatigue has physical ramifications in overall health and has a physical drain on the body. Compassion fatigue leads to an experience of trauma responses, dis-associating and going numb, losing the ability to care. Compassion fatigue is being newly studied in parents raising disabled kids. Can you describe Decision Fatigue? It has more to do with the decision maker and their wellbeing than the decision at hand. I encourage people to pre-make decisions and find ways to cut down on how many decisions you have to make in a day, especially where big decisions may be ahead. RESOURCES MENTIONED ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 027 - Therapy Check-in with Rose Reif Taking Care with Rose Reif on The Disorder Channel Reif Counseling Services TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify Apple Podcasts Stitcher Overcast CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website Twitter Instagram Built Ford Tough Facebook Group Once Upon a Gene on Clubhouse
by Once Upon A Gene
October 7, 2021
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Effisode – The Kids Do NAPA Center in Los Angeles

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
October 5, 2021
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Strength – How We View It, Define It and Move Through Life with Rare Disease and Chronic Illness with Marni Cartelli

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 102 Strength: How We View It, Define It and How It Changes As We Move Through Life With Rare Disease and Chronic Illness - Marni Cartelli At a time in her life that everything felt out of control, Marni Cartelli took action. She is making changes for herself and our entire community, like the upcoming October 29th #Press4Hope Challenge. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS How did you come into the world of rare disease and chronic illness? I entered the rare disease community in 2015 when I had an accident at my job as an OR Scrub. My shoulder dislocated and the pain was more severe than it should have been, even after my shoulder was back in place. Over the next year, we searched for answers for why the pain was increasing and why my shoulder repeatedly dislocated. One day my arm went blue and cold and my doctor knew what it was- a rare condition called sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) or complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).  What experiences left you feeling the most hopeless and defeated? Soon after I finally had a diagnosis, I lost my job because of it. The other was through the course of fighting for treatments I needed, appeal after appeal. Going head first into advocacy was a wonderful way to connect to the rare disease community, but I did it without addressing the physical or mental challenges I was dealing with. When the pandemic hit and all my activities shut down which resulted in tremors, sweating, swelling, I couldn't dress and struggled to feed myself. I realized I never addressed my emotions, but buried them under things to do until I started on my journey of self-reflection that I never took the time to do after being diagnosed. What led you to choose a course of self-reflection? I was in a place to receive the message. Sometimes we hear things and we're not ready to hear them or take action, especially in the rare disease face. I realized I was done living my life in fear.  What is the #Press4Hope Challenge? The #Press4Hope Challenge will be taking place on October 29th at TCBOOST Sports Performance in Chicago. It's a fundraising event for Uplifting Athletes where I will be lifting my max amount of weight as many times as possible in ten minutes with a goal of breaking Northwestern's record of 6,525 pounds. I want to press over 7,000 pounds for the more than 7,000 rare diseases identified in the community.  RESOURCES MENTIONED ONCE UPON A GENE - Episode 095 - A Rare Collection- Skin in the Game with Adam Johnson, Nathan Peck and Marni Cartelli https://effieparks.com/podcast/episode-095-rare-collection-skin-in-the-game Barby Ingle http://barbyingle.com/ Uplifting Athletes https://www.upliftingathletes.org/ TCBOOST Sports Performance https://tcboost.com/ CONNECT WITH MARNI CARTELLI Marni on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/purrr_fectlyrare/ Marni on Twitter https://twitter.com/Purrfectly_Rare CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/  Once Upon a Gene on Clubhouse https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/once-upon-a-gene
by Once Upon A Gene
September 30, 2021
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Finding Beauty and Connection When Raising a Medically Complex Kiddo with Melanie Dimmitt – Author of Special – Antidotes to the Obsessions that Come with a Child's Disability

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 101 Finding Beauty and Connection When Raising a Medically Complex Kiddo with Melanie Dimmitt - Author of Special: Antidotes to the Obsessions that Come with a Child's Disability Author Melanie Dimmit received her son's cerebral palsy (CP) diagnosis and she scoured the world for hope, stories, insight and companionship- desperate to know what she was up against and that everything was going to be okay. The result is her book, Special: Antidotes to the Obsessions that Come with a Child's Disability. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS When you say not to feel ashamed of your feelings, what does that mean? At the beginning, it's hard because you have thoughts and feelings that make you feel like a terrible person because most of us come to disability with no experience or knowledge. I thought my son having a cerebral palsy diagnosis was the worst thing that could ever happen to me or him and it felt like the end of the world. You think terrible things, you feel like you can't talk to anyone about how you're feeling, and you have layers and layers of guilt. Getting a diagnosis and learning that your child's life won't be how you imagined is a form of grief. All of this is normal. Give yourself time and don't beat yourself up as you process through the thoughts and feelings you initially have.  Were you good at processing your feelings and moving on? I was good at being in denial and I didn't accept Arlo's disability for about six months. I began to see a psychologist who helped me to feel anger and sadness, to acknowledge how hard it is and that it's okay to feel how I feel. Professional help and connecting with other parents while writing my book helped me feel less alone. What moments with Odie do you savor because of Arlo? Everything. As she was growing up, it blew our minds how easily things came to her as we were working so hard with Arlo. Arlo is nonverbal, he doesn't roll, he doesn't sit and left to his own devices lies on the floor with a big smile on his face. He needs a lot of support, nothing comes easy and he's worked incredibly hard for head control, core strength and fine motor skills. There's a bitter-sweetness to Odie growing and hitting milestones, but having Arlo has made us more relaxed and better parents to Odie. If you were asked to submit a story to your book today, what would it be? Special is a gaping wound for me, though I'm glad it's there for parents just starting their journey. I feel entirely different now. The old me wouldn't want to hear the new me saying it's fine. I'd say to old me that I know I think people are pretending it's okay when it's not, and they're making the best of the scenario, but I promise that's not true. I promise you that you'll never wish this away. It's hard, unfair at times, times that Arlo is unwell and it's awful, but I wouldn't change any of it. Arlo is a phenomenal person, he's so much cooler than you can imagine. You are happier and more fulfilled than you ever would have been without Arlo. RESOURCES MENTIONED Special: Antidotes to the obsessions that come with a child's disability https://www.amazon.com/Special-Antidotes-obsessions-childs-disability-ebook/dp/B07QPDQC27 TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/  Once Upon a Gene on Clubhouse https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/once-upon-a-gene
by Once Upon A Gene
September 23, 2021
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Effisode – Road Trip to NAPA Center

Intro music by Scott Holmes
by Once Upon A Gene
September 21, 2021
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A Rare Collection – Rare Disease Storytelling with Kyle Bryant, Jennifer Siedman, Liz Morris and Ashley Fortney Point

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 100 A Rare Collection- Because of You with Kyle Bryant, Jennifer Siedman, Liz Morris, and Ashley Fortney Point There's power in storytelling- for the listener and the storyteller. A Rare Collection is a monthly series featuring people from the rare disease community, sharing a story with a common theme. Kyle Bryant, Jennifer Sideman, Liz Morris, and Ashley Fortney Point share stories of rare disease. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Kyle Bryant, Living with Friedreich’s Ataxia Kyle was diagnosed with Friedreich’s Ataxia at age 17. It's a disease that affects balance and coordination and has symptoms of scoliosis, vision loss, hearing loss and life-shortening heart complications. At the time he was diagnosed, he ignored that his future would be much different than what he'd imagined. After a few years, he wanted to take a cross-country bike ride. Kyle reads a page from his book about how he convinced his parents to join him. Jennifer Siedman, Mother to Ben Jennifer loved a little boy with a rare disease called Sanfilippo Syndrome. That boy graced this Earth for 17 years with a big lion roar of a laugh and a gentle heart. He loved farms, tractors, baseball and chocolate donuts. His quiet determination convinced a researcher to pursue a treatment and because of it, there are other children today with Sanfilippo Syndrome who's future might look different than his. Jennifer knows who she is today because she was Ben's mother. Jennifer shares a story of her mother-in-law who, through her own determination, modeled the skills she would need to be the best mother and advocate she could be to Ben.  Liz Morris, Mother to Colson The Pacific Northwest is abundantly beautiful. Seattle's true appeal is in it's wild spaces. Carkeek Park in northern Seattle is one of Liz's favorites with organic healing powers she needs. Trails lead through the lush woods, there's an expansive shoreline with built-in driftwood seating and open green hills overlooking the sea and mountains. Liz and her husband sat on the beach at Carkeek Park on a hazy August evening in 2016 and talked of their future. They talked of the future they wanted for their future child, which Liz was six months pregnant with. Colson was born in October 2016. He was impacted by mitochondrial disease, a genetic disorder that compromised his body's ability to turn food into energy. Liz shares a story of living with enough. Ashley Fortney, Mother to Davis In 2014, Ashley welcomed her son Davis into the world after a difficult pregnancy filled with many hospitalizations and much worry. From the start, the doctors thought there might be something different about Davis. Davis was diagnosed with Koolen-de Vries syndrome at age 7, but he's continued to grow, learn and prove that nothing can stop him. Ashley shares all the ways that Davis has helped the family grow and find support from others in the community and all the ways he makes the world a better place. TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5Htr9lt5vXGG3ac6enxLQ7 Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/once-upon-a-gene/id1485249347 Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/once-upon-a-gene Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1485249347/once-upon-a-gene CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website https://effieparks.com/ Twitter https://twitter.com/OnceUponAGene Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onceuponagene.podcast/?hl=en Built Ford Tough Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1877643259173346/
by Once Upon A Gene
September 16, 2021
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Strength and Inspiration Found Through Rare Disease for Advocacy and a Patient First Movement with CEO of Optime Care – Donovan Quill

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 099 Strength and Inspiration Found Through Rare Disease for Advocacy and a Patient First Movement with CEO of Optime Care - Donovan Quill Donovan Quill has made it his personal mission to help patients who suffer from an orphan disorder that has affected his entire family, Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency. His advocacy efforts have led to his role as the CEO and President of Optime Care, a nationally recognized pharmacy, distribution and patient management organization. Donovan is also the host of the Rare Voices podcast.  EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Can you tell us about the Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency? Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency is a genetic disorder where the body doesn't make a protein that protects your lungs or liver from deterioration. Most of my family suffers from the lung effects of the disease, but my father had both the lung and liver related effects of the disease and passed away from liver failure. Most of my aunts and uncles passed away in their 40's from lung and liver components of Alpha-1 and my father passed away at 69 because of his treatment and the care model he managed and lived. What was the defining moment that shaped how you run Optime Care? My father had a bright light about him, was education focused and always wanting to learn and that rubbed off on me, learning as much as possible about the patients we serve and the disorders we work with. My parents instilled traits in me to do the right thing, make sure people are cared for, and treat everyone with respect. Diagnosis day is something my family experienced several times and it helps me to think about how patients react to and experience diagnosis and all that they go through. What rare patients go through on a daily basis has shaped what we are as a company, how we develop care plans and treat patients. What is the most meaningful thing that has happened since starting your company? I say the greatest metric we have is the relationships with our patients and the success of the company. The individuals who support the mission get letters from patients, invites to personal events like birthdays, holiday dinners and celebratory milestones. Patients stop in to see us when they're traveling in the area to meet their care coordinators and pharmacists. That's what has been the most rewarding for me, seeing the impact the care coordinators, pharmacists and nurses have on patients. It's a special, magical experience. Can you talk about the Rare Voices Podcast? Everyone has a voice and to really understand the rare disease world, you have to look at the patient perspective and also understand there's a lot that goes into bringing a drug to market, getting a drug covered or building a care program. So many people become their own advocates and push to bring about change in the world of rare disease, so we've found people to tell their story on the podcast. People aren't running away from their story, they're not hiding their story- they want to tell it and there's a mission behind it. The more we can get people to tell their story, the more awareness we can get around disorders and diseases that affect only a small number of patients. We want people to be aware of rare diseases that need more attention so we can get research, development and resources for finding treatments and cures. RESOURCES MENTIONED Once Upon a Gene on Clubhouse https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/once-upon-a-gene Optime Care https://www.optimecare.com/ Donovan Quill Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/donovan-quill-428a9211 Rare Voices Podcast https://www.optimecare.com/rare-voices/
by Once Upon A Gene
September 9, 2021