By Dana Talesnik
Isabella and Julia Flysjo, age 4, are part of a first-in-human gene therapy trial at the Clinical Center for their rare disease.
Photo: Niclas Flysjo
It’s agonizing for parents to watch their children suffer and not know how to help them. When parents learn their child has a rare disease, consumed with grief and fear, they try to navigate the confusing medical lingo for diseases that have limited resources and few, if any, effective treatments.
Two families were among those who shared their rare disease journeys during NIH’s Rare Disease Day virtual event on Mar. 1. In both cases, their babies were born seemingly healthy. Then, around age 2, worrisome symptoms appeared that led these families to seek a medical evaluation.