HISTORIAS REALES Chris Anselmo HISTORIAS REALES Chris Anselmo

Vivir tus sueños cuando padeces una enfermedad rara: cómo Chris Anselmo aprendió a seguir su corazón

After his diagnosis of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B at age 21, Chris initially opted for a safe career path, choosing jobs with steady income, benefits, and predictability. However, this decision made him feel like something was missing. Find out how Chris was finally able to follow his heart, finding purpose and contentment in becoming a writer.

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HISTORIAS REALES Gina D. Wagner HISTORIAS REALES Gina D. Wagner

Defining the Disease: The MOG Project

Many people living with rare disease describe life in terms of before and after: Before a diagnosis, they experience frustration, confusion, and exhaustion as they see various doctors and try to make sense of their symptoms. After a diagnosis, they may experience waves of relief mixed with a determination to find treatments – and often, grief about the impacts of the disease on their lives. No one understands how it feels to step across that invisible before-and-after line better than Julia Lefelar, Executive Director and Co-founder of the MOG Project.

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HISTORIAS REALES Gina D. Wagner HISTORIAS REALES Gina D. Wagner

Visiting the Disease: Orit’s Story

Orit recently joined the Know Rare business development team with the goal of helping other caregivers and patients learn more about how to engage with clinical studies and other opportunities for support. Here’s how she is reframing attitudes towards life with a rare condition.

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HISTORIAS REALES Gina D. Wagner HISTORIAS REALES Gina D. Wagner

Thriving Rare

As a child, Becky Tilley often felt like she didn’t fit in or wasn’t as successful as other kids in most academic areas… except for one subject: English. Her love for reading and writing returned in her adulthood, when she started blogging about living with a rare disease called Koolen-de Vries. Learn about her newest book, Thrive Rare: Embracing the Uniqueness Within, born of her desire to spread hope.

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COMMUNITY STORIES, REAL STORIES Laura Will COMMUNITY STORIES, REAL STORIES Laura Will

A Dragon Mom’s Story: Facing Grief and Life Threatening Illness with Poetry

When I first started expressing concern about Alden’s development, everyone told me not to compare Alden to his big sister, Hadley. I was not comparing. As a mother and a nurse, I knew in my gut that something was seriously wrong. After weeks of second guessing my instincts, I finally caught one of Alden’s atypical movements on video. It was Memorial Day, 2020. He was 4.5 months old. I sent the video to the on-call doctor at his PCP office, who took one look at it and asked us to please bring him into the emergency room immediately. Forty eight hours, an EEG and an MRI later, our family was forever changed.

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